South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced on Apr. 29 that Justine Loubens from L’Isle-Jourdain, France, will join the Gamecocks with four years of eligibility starting in the 2026-27 academic year.
Loubens’ addition is expected to strengthen the team as she brings experience from both French professional leagues and international competitions. Staley said, “We’re excited to bring Justine into our Gamecock family. 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 top women’s professional league with La Roche Vendee, where she averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 64 percent from the field over 24 games. In the previous season with Centre Federal BB Paris in France’s second-tier league, she averaged almost eight points along with more than two rebounds and one-and-a-half steals per game across 22 outings.
Internationally, Loubens has represented France at three FIBA junior competitions. She teamed up with current Gamecock freshman Alicia Tournebize during events in both 2024 and 2025. At the FIBA U18 Eurobasket event in 2025, where France finished third, she averaged over seven points per game on nearly fifty percent shooting. In the FIBA U17 World Cup held in 2024, she was France’s leading scorer at just over eleven points per game while making more than half of her three-point attempts.
Loubens will be part of a recruiting class that includes Kelsi Andrews (Hazel Green/IMG Academy), Oliviyah Edwards (Tacoma/Lincoln), Jerzy Robinson (Chatsworth/Sierra Canyon), Kaeli Wynn (Santa Ana/Mater Dei), as well as junior transfer Jordan Lee (Stockton/Texas).
