Justine Loubens Arrives at South Carolina as Dawn Staley Adds a Proven French Shooter

Justine Loubens has officially made the transition from French basketball to South Carolina.

The 19-year-old guard is now enrolled at the University of South Carolina and has joined Dawn Staley’s team for offseason workouts, giving the Gamecocks another international piece as they prepare for the 2026-27 season.

Loubens signed with South Carolina in April and enters the program with four years of eligibility.

Her arrival also reunites her with Alicia Tournebize, the 6-foot-7 French forward who joined the Gamecocks during the 2025-26 season.

Loubens brings professional experience to Columbia

Loubens arrives with a résumé that is different from the typical incoming college freshman.

She spent last season playing for La Roche Vendée in France’s top women’s professional league, where she appeared in 24 games and averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 63.9% from the field.

South Carolina identified her shooting as one of the primary reasons she could fit into Staley’s system.

When the Gamecocks announced her signing in April, Staley described Loubens as one of the best shooters coming out of France and pointed to her experience with both club and national teams as preparation for the physical demands of the SEC.

That background could become particularly valuable as Loubens adjusts to a college environment where defensive pressure, athleticism and pace are major parts of the game.

Her international résumé offers another clue

Loubens has been part of the French youth national-team system for several years.

FIBA lists her at 6-foot-1 and records appearances for France at the 2023 FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship, the 2024 FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup and the 2025 FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket.

Her 2024 U17 World Cup campaign was particularly productive.

Loubens averaged 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists across seven games, while making 52% of her three-point attempts.

She also produced several strong individual performances during that tournament.

Against Croatia in the round of 16, she scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added four assists.

She followed that with 15 points and seven rebounds against Italy in the quarterfinals.

Those numbers show that her offensive value was not limited to simply standing behind the three-point line.

Her role changed at the 2025 U18 EuroBasket, where France finished third.

Loubens averaged 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 49% from the field during the tournament.

Tournebize connection could make the transition easier

Loubens will not be entering an entirely unfamiliar environment.

She and Tournebize have already played together for France at the 2024 U17 World Cup and 2025 U18 EuroBasket.

Tournebize was one of France’s leading players at the 2025 U18 tournament, earning All-Star Five recognition after averaging 12.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.

That existing relationship gives South Carolina two players who already understand each other’s basketball background and terminology.

It also gives Loubens an immediate teammate who has recently gone through the same transition from French basketball to Columbia.

Tournebize joined South Carolina for the spring 2026 semester after developing through the French club system with Tango Bourges Basket.

The recruitment was helped by a connection to French basketball

Loubens’ path to South Carolina was also connected to the relationship between Staley and the French basketball system.

French national-team head coach Jean-Aimé Toupane visited Columbia and observed South Carolina practices while watching Tournebize’s development.

According to Staley, that visit helped increase the momentum behind Loubens’ recruitment.

The connection makes sense given South Carolina’s growing relationship with French basketball.

Tournebize’s presence gave Staley an opportunity to evaluate how a young French player could develop inside the Gamecocks’ program before Loubens became the next addition.

What Loubens could add to the 2026-27 team

The most obvious potential fit is perimeter shooting.

South Carolina is replacing important production from its previous backcourt, including Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson, while continuing to build around a younger group of perimeter players.

During the 2025-26 season, the Gamecocks had multiple guards capable of creating offense, but their roster also demonstrated how important spacing can be when opponents load up defensively.

Loubens gives Staley another player with international experience who can potentially stretch defenses.

Her size also gives her a different physical profile from a smaller traditional point guard.

At 6-foot-1, she has the length to operate on the perimeter without being undersized against many SEC opponents.

That does not automatically translate into a major role.

Loubens still has to adjust to the speed and physicality of college basketball, learn South Carolina’s defensive responsibilities and compete with an incoming group that includes several highly regarded young players.

But her shooting ability provides a clear pathway to earning minutes.

South Carolina’s French connection is becoming more significant

Loubens is part of a broader shift in how South Carolina is building its roster.

The program is not relying exclusively on the traditional U.S. recruiting pipeline.

Instead, Staley has increasingly shown a willingness to evaluate players with international development backgrounds, particularly when their skill sets fit the program.

Tournebize’s arrival provided the first major example of that approach in the current roster.

Loubens now gives South Carolina another French player with professional and international experience.

The combination is especially interesting because the two players occupy different positions.

Tournebize provides size and frontcourt versatility at 6-foot-7, while Loubens offers a 6-foot-1 perimeter option.

That gives South Carolina two players from the same basketball system who could eventually complement each other on the court.

The adjustment is the next test

Loubens’ arrival is an important step, but the more meaningful evaluation will come once offseason workouts progress into preseason competition.

Her previous statistics establish that she has already competed against experienced players in France and at international tournaments.

They do not, however, establish how quickly she will adapt to the SEC.

That is where South Carolina’s development system becomes important.

Staley now has an opportunity to determine how Loubens’ shooting translates against longer, faster defenders and how effectively she can contribute away from the ball.

If that transition happens quickly, Loubens could give the Gamecocks another reliable perimeter option.

For now, the immediate development is simpler.

She is in Columbia, enrolled at South Carolina and working with the team.

The next chapter of her basketball career has officially begun.