South Carolina women's basketball: French player Justine Loubens signs with the Gamecocks

It turns out that South Carolina wasn’t done recruiting after all. On Wednesday afternoon, the Gamecocks announced they had signed Justine Loubens, a 6-1 guard from France.

In a statement, Dawn Staley praised Loubens for her shooting ability.

“We’re excited to bring Justine into our Gamecock family,” she 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.”

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball! 🏀

Loubens played professionally in France, where she averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds and shot 63.9%.

She also has international experience playing for the French junior teams, including playing alongside current Gamecock Alicia Tournebize. 

Last summer, Loubens averaged 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds on 49.0 percent shooting at the 2025 FIBA U18 Eurobasket. In 2024, she was France’s top scorer at 11.3 points and made 52.0 percent of her threes in the FIBA U17 World Cup. Three years ago, Loubens averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds at the 2023 FIBA U16 European Championships.

Loubens is the second French player South Carolina signed in this cycle, following forward Tournebize. Tournebize committed in December and joined the Gamecocks on January 1. 

Loubens gives South Carolina five signees in the 2026 recruiting class, plus Tournebize. 6-3 forward Oliviyah Edwards flipped her commitment from Tennessee to South Carolina in April. 6-1 guard Jerzy Robinson committed in December, the day after Tournebize. Both are consensus top-six recruits. 6-2 forward Kaeli Wynn and 6-3 forward Kelsi Andrews round out the class. Wynn is a top 20 prospect, and Andrews is a top 30 player.

🏀 GamecocksW newsletter: WBB coverage delivered straight to your inbox!

South Carolina’s recruiting class was ranked fourth in the country by ESPN, but that was before the addition of Edwards and Loubens.

South Carolina also added one of the best transfers available, former Texas guard Jordan Lee.

With Loubens’ addition, South Carolina’s 2026-27 roster stands at 14 players. The Gamecocks still expect to get back forward Ashlyn Watkins, who sat out last season. That fills all available roster spots. 

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!