Alicia Tournebize and Justine Loubens step onto the parquet at the Adidas Arena in Paris this Monday, November 2, 2026, marking a homecoming tour that bridges generations of French basketball. Playing for the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, the two French teenagers open their 2026–2027 NCAA season against Maryland in the marquee matchup of the Oui-Play 2026 event, as reported by Basket Europe.
A Paris Showcase for the Top-Ranked Gamecocks
The high-profile doubleheader at the Adidas Arena tips off at 6:00 p.m. local time, broadcasting live on ESPN to an audience stretching back to the American East Coast, where it airs at noon. Following the Gamecocks and Terps, North Carolina squares off against Oklahoma at 20:30. Ticket prices for the venue range from €13 to €50, with reduced tariffs available for minors and job seekers.
Sat down with Justine Loubens last week to learn about her decision to play at South Carolina. We talked about her relationship with Dawn Staley, her long-time friendship with Alicia Tournebize, her new nickname and much more.Read it here:https://t.co/ARKMQCWhtF
This trip marks the second time in four seasons that head coach Dawn Staley has launched her campaign in the French capital. In November 2023, South Carolina defeated Notre Dame 100-71 before a sold-out crowd at the Halle Georges-Carpentier for the first regular-season NCAA women’s game played outside the United States. Since that milestone, the Parisian venue has steadily hosted programs like USC, Ole Miss, UCLA, Louisville, Baylor, Duke, Vanderbilt, and Cal Berkeley.
Ahead of Monday’s opening tip, Staley treated her squad to a week of Parisian culture, including stops at the Musée du Louvre and a reception at the residence of the United States Ambassador. The head coach also outfitted her players in custom Louis Vuitton gear—complete with personalized wallets and gym bags—befitting a brand headquartered in the city where she frequently sports its designs on the sideline.
Carrying Forward a Legacy in Tricolour
For Tournebize and Loubens, wearing the same collegiate jersey in their home country carries a distinct historical weight. Tournebize is the daughter of Isabelle Fijalkowski, while Loubens is the daughter of Laétitia Moussard—two iconic figures who captured the European Championship together with the French national team in Le Mans in 2001. Twenty-five years later, their daughters share a roster on French soil.
Tournebize enters her first full season with South Carolina after arriving from Bourges in December 2025. Last year, the 2.00-meter forward averaged 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds across 20 matches in limited minutes, culminating in a hard-fought appearance in the NCAA final against UCLA where she grabbed six rebounds. Speaking to Ouest-France, Isabelle Fijalkowski explained the reasoning behind her daughter’s early-career transatlantic move: Alicia n’était pas prête, elle n’était pas au niveau, pour avoir du temps de jeu à Bourges. Or elle en avait besoin pour se développer. Mais si tu n’es pas au niveau à 18 ans, c’est difficile de pouvoir l’être trois ou quatre ans plus tard si tu ne joues pas.
Fijalkowski added that her daughter moved to an environment focused on mental, physical, and technical growth.
Loubens faces her own collegiate baptism after a turbulent domestic journey. Out of the INSEP talent pipeline, she initially planned to sign with Tarbes before the club filed for bankruptcy. She subsequently landed at La Roche Vendée for the 2025–2026 season, averaging 6.5 points and 2.4 rebounds before that club suffered relegation to Ligue 2, prompting her move across the Atlantic with four years of eligibility remaining.
The Broader Tide of French Talent in the NCAA
The presence of Tournebize and Loubens in South Carolina uniforms underscores a much wider migration of French basketball talent to the American collegiate system. Recent tracking by BeBasket highlights more than 60 French players currently rostered in Division I, blending prospects straight from national training centers with players seasoned in professional French leagues.
This steady exodus has forced domestic institutions to adapt. The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) appointed Arnaud Guppillotte to monitor the burgeoning female contingent across the Atlantic, while the National Basketball League (LNB) has opened channels of dialogue with the American collegiate infrastructure.
