Release from USC:
South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced that 6-1 Justine Loubens (L’Isle-Jourdain, France) will join the Gamecocks with four years of eligibility beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.
“We’re excited to bring Justine into our Gamecock family,” Staley said. “She is one of the best shooters coming out of France, and her experience playing for her club and national teams have helped prepare her for the SEC battles to come.”
Most recently, Loubens played in France’s premier women’s professional league (Ligue Féminine de BasketBall) with La Rouce Vendee, averaging 6.5 points and 2. 5 rebounds and shooting 63.9 percent from the field in her 24 games. In 2024-25, she played 22 games for Centre Dederal BB Paris of France’s second-tier league, netting 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game over 22 outings.
Loubens has represented France in three FIBA junior competitions, including teaming with current Gamecock freshman Alicia Tournebize in 2024 and 2025. France took third in the 2025 FIBA U18 Eurobasket event, averaging 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds on 49.0 percent shooting. In 2024, she was France’s top scorer in the FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 11.3 points and shooting 52.0 percent from 3-point range. Loubens’ debut for France was in the 2023 FIBA U16 European Championships, which they won, with her averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Loubens joins Kelsi Andrews (Hazel Green, AL/IMG Academy), Oliviyah Edwards (Tacoma, Wash./Lincoln), Jerzy Robinson (Chatsworth, CA/Sierra Canyon) and Kaeli Wynn (Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei) in the Gamecocks’ 2026 Class. Junior transfer Jordan Lee (Stockton, Calif./Texas) is also new to the Gamecocks’ 2026-27 roster.