Alicia Tournebize has joined the South Carolina women’s basketball team, and fans are paying attention. The 6-foot-7 French forward played for the Gamecocks for the second time on January 18. And what happened in Baltimore against Coppin State showed why Head Coach Dawn Staley’s newest player is such a good fit for the nation’s No. 2-ranked team.

A viral TikTok video showed what fans couldn’t stop talking about.

Tournebize is making an amazing dunk during the pregame warm-ups, and her teammates are going crazy. The video showed the kind of athletic dominance that has excited social media, and fans are hopeful that she joined South Carolina’s roster.

The numbers prove the hype.

Tournebize scored eight points, grabbed a rebound, forced a steal, and blocked a shot in just 13 minutes against Coppin State. And this was only her second game.

She scored her first career bucket with a sharp stop-and-pop jumper, proving she can score when it matters most. In Texas on January 15, she played for five minutes and didn’t get any stats.

But Staley clearly trusts her now, because she got to play a lot in the 90-48 win.

What is it that makes Tournebize so special, though?

Fans are paying close attention because she does something that isn’t very common: she guards the perimeter and defends in the paint, getting back quickly and making bad passes instead of letting her opponents beat her. That viral dunk wasn’t just a show of athleticism; it showed how much her teammates trust her every day.

South Carolina fans can’t stop talking about Alicia Tournebize

One supporter summed up the long-term view by saying, “After a year in @GamecockWBB’s strength and conditioning program, Tournebize will be a problem.” She is confident in her development path, especially since this is only her second game, and she has already scored eight points while assisting the defense with a steal and a block in just 13 minutes. Fans know that as she gets in better shape and learns more about Staley’s system, she could start to produce a lot more.

Another echoed the same: “South Carolina’s new French weapon is gonna be a problem.”

Then, another compared it to something that happened in the past: “Reminds me of when LA used to dunk before games…we are so back.” This nostalgic reference links Tournebize’s moment to South Carolina’s winning culture and past championship wins. The 90-48 win over Coppin State was the perfect setting for this statement.

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One fan seemed to have checked Tournebize’s moves in detail. “Alicia Tournebize is still adjusting to the timing, speed, and placement offensively, but defensively…The way she refuses to get buried, fights around positioning, and stays solid within the system really moves me. Nothing flashy, just what works.” This reaction confirms what Staley saw when she put Tournebize in key defensive positions and used the 2-3 zone.

Tournebize’s basic discipline, staying in position, getting back quickly, and making it hard for opponents to pass, fits perfectly with the principles of winning basketball.