Though Xavi Lopez’s job title on the Oregon women’s basketball team is simply “assistant strength and conditioning coach,” his efforts and abilities run much deeper.
Courtesy: Oregon Athletics
He can’t coach or recruit, but Lopez has a knack for building relationships with current players. Many say he’s a quick learner, which is essential in today’s NCAA coaching environment.
When he first moved from Spain to the United States as a freshman at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon, he learned English in three and a half months.
“He seems to do everything at a pretty high speed in terms of how fast he picks things up,” Chad Meadors, the women’s basketball coach at Lower Columbia College, said. Lopez lived with Meadors during his first year in America and considers him to be a mentor.
Lopez, now in his third year at Oregon, is a versatile contributor for the Ducks.
“He’s kind of a jack of all trades,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said. “I call him the ‘Renaissance Man.’ He knows a little bit of everything.”
After finishing his basketball career at Point Loma Nazarene University, Lopez moved back to Spain for a six-year professional career. During his time, he played on Bilbao Basket — a prestigious ACB Spanish League team.
He said he’s soaking up every opportunity to learn from Graves and his staff. Graves is in his 23rd year coaching collegiate women’s basketball.
“I’m just very thankful that I’m here learning from everybody. I just try and help in every area that I can,” Lopez said. “It’s been amazing. These last two years have been great. I’m excited for this season to see what’s in store for us.”
Last summer, Lopez joined the Oregon coaching staff in recruiting while associate head coach Mark Campbell stayed home with the team. Lopez also regularly serves as the team’s video coordinator, exchanging film with opponents during the season.
“He does a great job of just kind of scouring,” Graves said. “Even though that’s his title, he’s really into the game. He understands European basketball and he always seems to be watching games online. He is in the know as to what is going on.”
Meadors said Lopez is always aware of what’s happening internationally, especially in Europe.
“Some people have to look that up and try to research when those times are in the leagues and who’s playing,” Meadors said. “He not only knows when they are, but he knows who’s coaching them. He played with a lot of those people.”
Before Oregon, Lopez worked at Kansas State as a graduate coaching assistant. He joined the Ducks when Graves was hired to turn the Oregon women’s hoops program around.
He said he’d one day like to coach, but is enjoying his experience in Eugene to the fullest.
“I would like to, but I’m taking it one day at a time,” Lopez said about coaching. “I’m very happy to be here and learning.”
Both Graves and Meadors said that Lopez’s future within basketball is bright.
“I think he’s enjoying this position here, but at some point, he’s going to really want to coach,” Graves said. “We’ll see what happens. He’s a hot commodity because I think a lot of people are realizing his value to our team.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
