COLUMBIA — Less than 24 hours after landing in Columbia from France, Alicia Tournebize was watching South Carolina women’s basketball practice.
Coach Dawn Staley’s new 6-foot-7 forward is joining the team midseason, going from professional basketball to college as the No. 3 Gamecocks (14-1) get started in SEC play.
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The news was announced Dec. 22, with the understanding that she’d join the Gamecocks after the holiday break. Though basketball restarted for South Carolina on Dec. 28, and conference games began Jan. 1, Tournebize still can’t play just yet. There’s paperwork and processes to complete before starting as a South Carolina student.
“There’s a lot of stuff you got to do, she got a lot of it done but it’s probably going to take another day or so,” Staley said Jan. 2, confirming Tournebize will travel with the team but won’t play against Florida on Jan. 4 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
During the end of practice, Tournebize was chatting with Staley and injured forward Chloe Kitts on the sideline as the team shot free throws. Staley was asked if Tournebize will start learning plays during this time before she gets to touch the ball.
“Not yet, we’ll do that once she’s able to hit the floor, that’s probably going to be sometime next week I’m imagining,” Staley said.
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Before Tournebize announced her plans to join South Carolina, she was playing FIBA basketball for Tango Bourges Basket. According to the program, in September 2024 she was the “first documented French woman” to dunk in a game. She’s continued to dunk numerous times throughout her career, including a two-handed slam in 2025.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be an adjustment period or growing pains.
“Yeah I don’t know, obviously it’s going to be a big transition,” Staley said. “This is hard, coming in the middle of the season, to pick up on some things. I know we’re probably going to shorten her playbook until she gets acclimated and once we can see how she fits in with us, we’ll start running some specialized plays for her.”
For now, it’s “housekeeping” things to get her ready to hit the floor, but Staley noted she seems more mature than most 18-year olds given her professional experience.
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Kitts was Staley’s most recent player to join midseason, starting her South Carolina career in December 2022. This was set to be Kitts’ senior year but she tore her ACL and is missing this season, giving her the option to return next year.
Kitts averaged 1.6 points in 6.9 minutes per game when she joined in the middle of the season, but with all the talent Staley lost in 2023, acclimating Kitts early paid off. She jumped to 9.1 points per game as a sophomore.
Tournebize is a massive help numbers wise because Staley has had injuries impacting her roster since September. But similar to when Kitts arrived, she won’t be forced into a star role. Next year, if Madina Okot (6-6 center) can’t return, Staley will need Tournebize’s height way more.
Staley said she approached it the same way they did Kitts in terms of arriving early, which her and her family thought was “really enticing.” Given her age, she wasn’t getting heavy minutes on her pro team, Staley said.
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Tournebize, 18, has four seasons of college eligibility.
Chloe Kitts injury update from Dawn Staley
Kitts tore her ACL in September, and while every injury differs, recovery is normally six to 12 months.
After she talked to Tournebize, Kitts began shooting some outside shots after practice.
“Her rehab is going great,” Staley said. “Probably too fast, you know Chloe, she has to keep going.”
Her dad confirmed via social media that she had a successful surgery on her knee Oct. 14. Though she was moving and shooting 80 days later, it’s no indication or confirmation that she would unexpectedly return this season.
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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley updates when Alicia Tournebize can play for South Carolina
