Midseason addition Alicia Tournebize will be available to play, coach Dawn Staley confirmed at a news conference Wednesday.
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The 6-foot-7 forward played professionally in France for a few years before announcing she would be joining the Gamecocks in December. Tournebize, 18, arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, on Jan. 1 and has been practicing since Jan. 6, according to the Greenville News. She warmed up with South Carolina before they beat Georgia 65-43 on Sunday, but did not take the court.
“He looked good,” Staley told reporters Wednesday. “She will play, she will definitely play.”
Tournebize, a native of Vichy, France, averaged 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in the 2025 U18 EuroBasket for her country. He has also attracted attention for effortlessly performing one-handed dunks.
Since joining South Carolina, he has impressed his teammates not only with his skills, but also with his basketball IQ.
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“She’s smart and she figures things out quickly,” Gamecocks sophomore Joyce Edwards told reporters. “Her defense is excellent. Offensively she can shoot, she can space the floor. I feel like no one has played her, so it’s going to be hard to scout her and I’m excited to see her play.”
Tournebize is part of a wave of international players with professional experience coming to women’s college basketball. Belgian forward Nastja Claessens, who was drafted by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics in 2024 but never signed a contract with them, joined Kansas State this season and is averaging 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Liza Astakhova played professionally in Russia before signing with North Carolina this season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alicia Tournebize to play for Dawn Staley in South Carolina vs. Texas