Alicia Tournebize entering important first offseason with South Carolina WBB
South Carolina forward Alicia Tournebize is entering a crucial stage of her development: her first collegiate offseason.
The rising sophomore joined the team halfway through this past season. That meant she had to learn and adjust to Dawn Staley’s program on the fly.
In the four months she’s been with the team, Tournebize has been lauded by her coaches and teammates for how she’s adapted. This summer will be important for Tournebize, though, as she’ll be able to go through a full offseason with South Carolina women’s basketball sports performance coach Molly Binetti.
“It’s huge. … The more time we can really have to build, the better,” Binetti told The State in March.
A solid foundation
Tournebize came to South Carolina straight from the professional ranks.
She played for Tango Bourges Basket of the EuroLeague Women in France. While Tournebize didn’t play much there — she averaged just over seven minutes in eight games — she had already developed “pro habits” that were evident when she arrived in Columbia, Binetti said.
“She already knew what she had to do,” Binetti said. “She knew she needed to get stronger. She knew she needed to gain weight. I don’t have to ask her to come work out extra. She comes in on any off day, game days, she comes in and lifts, so she had a pretty solid foundation. She just needs consistency, which is true of all of our freshmen.”
Tournebize also brought plenty of experience playing internationally, something that’s become the norm for the best high school freshmen in the States (whom Staley regularly recruits). She averaged nearly a double-double (12.1 points and 8.9 rebounds) in seven games for the French national team at the 2025 FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket event.
Binetti said her baseline when it came to general strength and conditioning was generally comparable to the usual incoming Gamecocks freshman.
“She had experience so she actually moves really well for a freshman. You don’t always see that,” Binetti said.
Goals for the offseason
Binetti compared Tournebize’s slender 6-foot-7 frame to that of fellow French basketball star Victor Wembanyama. The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year is known for his thin, 7-foot-4 frame.
When Wembanyama entered the NBA, an emphasis was placed on his need to eventually add some more mass and muscle. Although Tournebize and Wembanyama aren’t exactly the same, Binetti emphasized a similar principle. South Carolina associate head coach Lisa Boyer told The State that Tournebize isn’t weak by any means, but extra strength helps in the grind of the SEC.
“Obviously, when you’re that tall and you have such long limbs, I kind of look at her as someone like a Wemby, she’s (got) really good body control and movement but needs to gain a little bit of mass,” Binetti said.
Nutrition plays an important part in that process, and Binetti added that Tournebize has already done a good job adjusting to different foods.
“It helps when you have a background in it,” Binetti said. “So you come in and you already know how to train. I think just introducing her to new things and I think the nutrition part of it, too. Obviously, you’re adjusting to different foods, you find stuff that you like, you’re figuring out how to balance that. But she’s done really well so far.”
While the first offseason will be key for Tournebize, nothing will change overnight. The process of getting bigger, faster and stronger is a constant (Binetti trains the Gamecocks year-round) for every player and takes time.
“You can’t rush it,” Binetti said. “Same with anybody, you don’t want to put weight on them just to put weight on them. She’s never going to be somebody that’s huge the way (Agot Makeer) and Chloe (Kitts) are never going to be huge, but it’s just getting her to understand how to use her body better. And that just comes with time.”
The best way to build on the foundation Tournebize has is to continue to build familiarity, Binetti said.
“I think it’s like building the relationship, too,” Binetti said. “… Getting familiar with her, her getting familiar with me. Introducing her to finding out what she already likes to do and what she feels like helps her, and then finding new ways to kind of build off that. I always want this to be a place where they have a say in their process. That’s really important to me.”
Sky is the limit on the court
While strides in the weight room will be important for Tournebize, on-court growth is arguably even more crucial.
Tournebize averaged 12.5 minutes of action in 20 games during her freshman campaign. She scored four points per game and averaged 3.4 rebounds.
There were times this past season where, despite her height, Tournebize was outmatched by opponents in the paint. She already has the capability to spot up from 3-point range, so if Tournebize can combine that with improvements to her work in and around the paint (on both sides of the ball) she could be hard to stop.
“We got to get her to stay long, trying to get her not to reach that kind of stuff. Stuff that they would probably get away with over there, they don’t get away with it here,” Boyer told The State in March. “She can’t lean in. … Stay big, stay tall. Use your length. She has pretty good quickness, especially for her size. The sky’s the limit for her. She’s got a real, really, really good shot. She’s got a pretty shot, and she’s fundamentally sound.”
A more comfortable Tournebize could see her role expand in the 2026-27 season. She’ll likely be one of the first post players off the bench for the Gamecocks next year behind Joyce Edwards and possibly Chloe Kitts.
Regardless of where she slots in the Gamecocks’ rotation next season, Staley expects her to be a pro when she leaves South Carolina.
“Ali’s going to be a pro. So her coming in a semester earlier means she’s gonna be a pro quicker,” Staley told The State in February. “… She could be a pro next year if she really wanted to be a pro. I don’t know how long we’ll have her. I hope we have her for another three years, but her talent is high level. I know she’s learning and growing, and I know she’ll learn and grow and get stronger here.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Alicia Tournebize entering important first offseason with South Carolina WBB."
