The Otago Nuggets point guard reckons his side has another gear and they will need to find it against the Auckland Tuatara in Dunedin tonight.
The Nuggets started hot, posting four consecutive wins.
But they have lost their last two and face a talented Tuatara outfit.
The 28-year-old Canadian, who calls Montreal home, has had professional stints in Spain, Serbia, Macedonia and now New Zealand.
You get use to travelling and waiting at airports.
If can be a drag. But not for Louis. He is happy to find a quiet spot, prop up is laptop and bash out a few more thoughts.
When he is not dishing assists and cutting to hoop, he likes to write and wants to pursue a career in sports journalism eventually.
‘‘I studied journalism and I love to write,’’ he said.
‘‘I have a book under way, actually. It is something that I don’t talk about a whole lot.
‘‘And it’s going to take some time, because basketball is taking a lot of my time.
‘‘I’m writing about how young men don’t understand young women and how that creates problems in relationships.’’
The more immediate focus is on finding a way to thwart the Tuatara, who shape as a title contender.
The Nuggets have hit a road bump, but Louis remains confident.
‘‘We started like we thought we would. We started fast.
‘‘We came here earlier than other teams. So we expected to be in better shape and just more ready. But now the league understands who we are.
‘‘And it’s on us to make the adjustments.
‘‘We do have another gear.
‘‘All the players trust [coach] Jeff [Sparrow] to bring on that second gear when it’s going to be needed.
‘‘But in all the games that we lost, we felt like we beat ourselves more than they beat us.
‘‘So, yeah, we’re going to get in the gym and get better.’’
The Nuggets will need to be better.
Auckland have a forward lineup which will be a challenging match-up for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets have tended to focus on their perimeter defence at the expense of keeping players out of the paint.
But Auckland have too many threats to use that approach, so they will need to tweak the game plan.
Louis was going home to study some game tape when the Otago Daily Times spoke to him on Tuesday.
‘‘From what I heard, this is one of the bigger budget teams. So, fans are going to show up and they are going to be expecting us to win.’’
Louis described himself as a downhill player, meaning his likes to cut to the hoop. But he is a facilitator first and foremost.
‘‘The coach has trust when the ball is in my hands. He knows I’m not going to force shots. And that if somebody’s open, I’m most likely going to find them.’’
The Tuatara will be backing up from a 111-94 loss to the Southland Sharks in Invercargill on Thursday night, so the Nuggets should have the fresher legs.
NBL
Dunedin, tonight, 7.30
Otago Nuggets: Alain Louis, Ethan Rusbatch (captain), Matthew Bardsley, Zach McKenzie, Isaac Miller-Jose, Buay Tuach, Michael Henn, Caleb Smiler, Tyson Thata-Paese, Oak Chisholm, Harrison Bezett, Toby Hunt.
Auckland Tuatara: Joshua Dilling, Chris Johnson, Dylan Wilkie, Zach Riley, Rob Loe, Thomas Vodanovich, Daley Pohio, Joshua Wyllie, Kingston Kailahi-Aso, Krisnan-Cole Ioane, Matthew Dalton, Joshua Leger.
