A look at the history of French players to play for South Carolina WBB
South Carolina women’s basketball has established a French connection in the last few months.
Dawn Staley has now added two French prospects to the Gamecocks’ program with Wednesday’s signing of guard Justin Loubens.
Staley hasn’t necessarily hit the international recruiting stage hard in her 18-year tenure with South Carolina. But she’s gone after international talent from time to time and has had nine international players play at least a game for South Carolina during her time at USC. Notable international Gamecocks include Kamilla Cardoso (Brazil), Laeticia Amihere (Canada) and Agot Makeer (Canada).
South Carolina women’s basketball has had letter-winners from 18 different countries in the program’s history. The addition of Loubens (who will be Staley’s 11th international player) will bring the tally up to three for France, tying it with Hungary and Canada for the most international letter-winners to play for the Gamecocks.
Here’s a look at South Carolina women’s basketball’s history with French players.
The first: Wilka Montout
Wilka Montout has the honor of being the first-ever player in South Carolina women’s basketball program history to be of French descent.
Montout is originally from French Guiana in South America. She’s a native of Cayenne, the capital city of the French territory. Montout also graduated from Lycée Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves in Nice, France before coming to the United States to pursue her college basketball career.
The 6-foot-3 forward started her career on the junior college level at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. In her second year with the team, she led the Lady Norse to the NJCAA National Tournament and earned All-American honors after averaging 18.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Montout arrived to Columbia in Staley’s 2012 recruiting class alongside Tiffany Davis, Asia Dozier, Tiffany Mitchell and Khadijah Sessions.
Montout was mainly in a reserve role for the Gamecocks in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. She played in 59 games (making one start) and averaged two points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.3 minutes during those two years.
The second: Alicia Tournebize
It would be over a decade before Staley dipped South Carolina’s proverbial recruiting toe back into French waters.
Alicia Tournebize became just the second Frenchwoman in the program when she joined the Gamecocks halfway through the 2025-26 season.
The 6-foot-7 forward joined South Carolina straight from France. Tournebize is a native of Vichy and had a short stint with Tango Bourges Basket — a pro team in Bourges, France — before joining the Gamecocks.
Tournebize started playing right away for the Gamecocks during her shortened freshman season. She played in 20 games this past season and averaged 12.5 minutes per game. Tournebize averaged four points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Staley and her staff think highly of Tournebize and expect her to be a pro once her time with the Gamecocks comes to an end.
A third next season: Justine Loubens
Once Justine Loubens takes the floor this November, she’ll be the third Gamecock in program history to be of French descent.
Loubens is originally from L’Isle-Jourdain, which is located in the southern part of France.
The 6-foot-1 guard is 18 years old and signed with South Carolina on Wednesday. She will have four years of college eligibility.
Loubens is coming off a stint with La Roche Vendee, a professional team in France’s premier women’s pro league, Ligue Féminine de BasketBal. In 24 games she averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 63.9% from the field.
In the 2024-25 season, Loubens averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds for Centre Dederal BB Paris in France’s second-tier women’s professional league.
Loubens and Tournebize were international teammates, representing the French National Team at the 2025 FIBA U18 Eurobasket event and the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. Loubens averaged 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game at the event last year and averaged 11.3 points per game at the U17 world cup in 2024.
International players to play for Dawn Staley at South Carolina
- Kamilla Cardoso, Brazil (2022-24)
- Pamela Decheva, Bulgaria (2012)
- Shay Colley, Canada (2016)
- Laeticia Amihere, Canada (2020-23)
- Agot Makeer, Canada (2025-present)
- Valerie Nainima, Fiji (2010-11)
- Wilka Montout, France (2013-14)
- Alicia Tournebize, France (2025-present)
- Justin Loubens, France (will join team in 2026)
- Madina Okot, Kenya (2025-26
- Sarah Imovbioh, Nigeria (2016)
This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 7:42 AM with the headline "A look at the history of French players to play for South Carolina WBB."
