EUSA Insider:
Lou Mataly
Age: 26
Place of Birth: Toulouse, France
University: University of Toulouse II - Jean Jaure (FRA)
Sport: Basketball Published 24 May 2019
How and why did you get involved in Basketball?
My family, on my dad’s side, is very passionate about basketball, so it came pretty naturally. I have an older brother, with who I used to spend hours and hours with playing outside. My dad took me to my first practice when I was five, but I hated it, and ran track and field instead for a few years. Then at the age of eight and nine, playing basketball became very fun so I decided to join a team.
What do you study, and how do you balance your study, training and competition?
I studied Environmental Sciences, and got a Master’s degree in Geology. At the beginning of this year I started a new challenge, which is preparing for a teacher’s certification. I’ve always balanced training and competition, so I learned pretty early how to manage my time. It just takes good habits and being willing to sacrifice a bit of your free time in order to perform in school and in sport. But most of the time I was lucky because I could manage my school hours as a “student-athlete”. So for example I did my last year of high school in two years, so I had more time to study and practice at the same time. Then I went to University in the USA, where everything is very well organised for student athletes.
“It promotes the fact that you can play sports at a high level and be a student at the same time.”
Tell us about your experiences at the European Universities Games 2018. Was it your first time at a EUSA event, and what did you enjoy the most?
It was my first time at a EUSA event. I absolutely loved the whole atmosphere. Everybody was there to compete and have a good time. We had a wonderful team, and two amazing coaches which made the experience incredible. Also, family members and friends came all the way from France to share this particular experience with us! It made it even more memorable. The competition was amazing in itself, but it was so fun to have many sports events from all over Europe in the same place.
Why do you think taking part in university sport is important?
It is very important because it promotes the fact that you can play sports at a high level and be a student at the same time. This is not very recognised in Europe, or at least not enough, so events like that allow us to show that it is possible to do both. It is also very important for us because the atmosphere is very different than in a club team, at least for me. There is less pressure, we are on the court simply to have fun and participate to events such as European Championships, which is “la crème de la crème”.
In 2019 the European Universities Basketball Championships will take place in Poznan, Poland. Do you hope to be there, and if so, how have your preparations been, and what do you hope to achieve?
Well, I hoped to be there, but our team lost the final of the French Championship last year, and only the winner of this competition is able to go to the European Championship. So we won’t be in Poland, but we hope to win this year so we can be at the European Games next summer!
What is your favorite university sport moment?
My favorite moment was probably the quarter-final of the European Championship in Coimbra. We were losing all game, and we somehow managed to win. I still don’t really know how it happened, but it was a great moment.
What is your message to European student-athletes like yourself?
I would encourage everybody to keep doing what they do best, studying and playing their sport and I hope to see them at the next European event!
EUSA would like to congratulate Lou for her success at the 2018 Games and we wish her all the best in the future!