Dawn Staley’s decision to fast-track French phenom Alicia Tournebize was a bold move, but the 18-year-old’s transition to the college game has hit an early snag. Instead of waiting around and bringing her in next season with her top recruiting class, Staley thought she could contribute immediately. They fast-tracked her enrollment, and now Tournebize is up and running for the Gamecocks. But it has not been that easy for the phenom. 

Alicia Tournebize has played 7 games so far, all from the bench, averaging 4 points, 0.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game in her limited minutes. The problem is not in those numbers, but the fact that she is giving away a whopping 3 fouls per game. Even so, Dawn Staley is willing to sacrifice on these early concerns, as she has continued to back her star recruit. 

“I think probably the game is a little bit quicker here,” Staley said after practice. “That’s one. Two, I actually don’t mind because that means she’s fighting back.” South Carolina relies a lot on their paint presence. Both on their offense and defense. Their opponents’ 2-point percentage of 37.1% ranks among the lowest in the country.

It is a bloodbath around the rim. What Staley sees as the silver lining in Tournebize’s fouls is the fact that the 18-year-old is showing some fight against older, more mature players. She isn’t backing down and is already proving to be a physical presence. That will eventually flower into results once she gets settled in the country and in her role at the Gamecocks.

She was never going to immediately start dominating. In addition, the game in the US is more sensitive than it is in Europe. Some of the fouls that were overlooked back at Bourges Basket are being called here. Staley further mentioned that Tournebize has impressed with her reaction to the foul trouble. 

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“What I did like was her ability to play with four fouls. I know we were in the zone, but you still put yourself in a position where, anytime there’s some penetration, you tend to want a foul,” Staley said. “So, she played a long stretch with four fouls. So every step, she’s learning, and she’s growing, and she’s acclimating.”

The experience is the primary goal for Tournebize this season. She is ultimately going to be an important piece for Dawn Staley. Right now it’s time to understand, analyze, and improve. While she struggled with the fouls, Alicia Tournebize adapted well to the change in tactics forced by injuries. 

Alicia Tournebize Adjusts on the Fly in Battle with Mississippi State

Alicia Tournebize spent the most time in a game against Mississippi State since she got here. Playing for 19 minutes, she had 8 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds in the 88-45 win. Nevertheless, the win wasn’t without its challenges. South Carolina had three guards out with injuries in the second half.

Ta’Niya Latson and Agot Makeer are yet to return from their injuries, and Tessa Johnson was too “banged up” to play in the second half. That meant 4 bigs played heavy minutes with 2 or 3 simultaneously being on the court at the same time, including Alicia Tournebize. With this change, Staley also switched to the zone defense. 

“The zone is something that we have worked on,” Staley said. “Just because we have to play a bigger lineup, and they, they played it extremely well. They were moving around. They were connected. So it was good to see.”

The zone has been used sparingly by Staley so far this season, which makes Tournebize’s performance even more encouraging for Staley. The youngster applied their training to the game without missing a beat. Remember, she is just a few games in her Gamecocks career, and her speed of adaptation should give Staley some more encouragement. Tournebize could further play an important part against Tennessee, with Latson slated to be questionable and Makeer still out.