Lopez primed for double Games experience
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/08/2024 (628 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Julien Lopez will only play one Manitoba Summer Games, so he wants the full experience.
The Dauphin native made Team West for both basketball and rugby sevens, becoming one of the few athletes who will take part in the opening and closing ceremonies and everything in between.
“That part I’m really looking forward to but I don’t know, sleeping in a school for a week? It’s the down part of being a two-sport player,” Lopez chuckled. “But it’s great that I get to play two sports.
Julien Lopez is the captain of Team West Green for rugby sevens at the Manitoba Games next week in Dauphin. (Submitted)
“The only thing I’m worried about is if my legs are dead after basketball for rugby.”
Basketball starts on Monday as Lopez’s Team West No. 2 takes on Winnipeg Gold at 9 a.m. They’re playing at the Parkland Recreation Complex curling rink, on the Winnipeg Sea Bears’ hardcourt.
Lopez has been playing ball since Grade 3 when Steve Hudyma started a club team. Most of his teammates this week grew up together in the Dauphin area, so they have chemistry and a few key intangibles on their side.
“Definitely our cardio and our determination,” Lopez said.
“We run for the first hour, hour-and-a-half of practice, just non-stop running so that’s what we bring to the court.”
Lopez said another key to the team’s success will be size, as Ryder Waggoner, Ronin Mouck and Gabriel Beaudin provide length on defence but can also stretch the floor as shooters.
“They’re out there running with us so I know they can keep up,” Lopez said.
The seven-team event will wrap up on Wednesday morning.
As most of the athletes pack up and clear out for the second phase to move into the athletes’ village at Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, Lopez will stay and await his rugby team.
Lopez has a strong rugby background and a terrific source of knowledge in his father, Gerald, who he said helped start a league in Dauphin.
Julien Lopez, left, is making his Manitoba Games debut in basketball on Monday. (Submitted)
Lopez was named captain of Team West Green for the three-team event at the Games starting on Thursday.
“I don’t believe the C means that much other than picking the sides or this team,” Lopez said. “We have so many great leaders so every player can turn to someone. Everybody’s a specialist in their own thing, so it’s great.”
West Green, West Orange and Winnipeg Gold will all play each other on Thursday and again on Friday, with the top team earning a bye to Saturday’s final after the other two square off in a semifinal.
The games feature seven-minute halves and are over in the blink of an eye.
“Give it all you got on the field,” Lopez said. “You have 14 minutes to give it everything you got … so leave it all out there.”
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