Dawn Staley settles height dispute after new South Carolina star towers over her

Alicia Tournebize will join South Carolina after the holiday break, and head coach Dawn Staley has settled the dispute surrounding her height, confirming she’s taller than expected.

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Dawn Staley has confirmed that her new prospect, Alicia Tournebize, is 6-foot-7(Image: 2025 Michael Hickey)

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has settled the height debate after announcing the addition of French prospect Alicia Tournebize, who will play in the second half of the year.

The Gamecocks have been persevering with a limited roster this season, as several injury issues and illnesses have forced Staley to select between eight and nine players for most games. Star forward Chloe Kitts suffered an ACL tear in September, but the team has continued to thrive.

South Carolina is 12-1 this season and is ranked No. 3 in the country, but the Gamecocks have secured 18-year-old Tournebize, who will be available after the holiday break. However, the French prospect was initially listed at 6-foot-4 on the school website, but Staley has confirmed she is much taller.

Tournebize has been playing professionally in France, competing in the Ligue Féminine de BasketBall over the past few seasons. She is the daughter of FIBA Hall of Famer Isabelle Fijalkowski and has also been seen slam-dunking the ball.

After South Carolina announced the signing, her bio on the school website matched her statistics on past playing rosters. Tournebize was listed as 6-foot-4, but fans were confused after seeing her dunk in recent months.

There was speculation that Tournebize has grown three inches since her last bio update, and Staley confirmed that the French prospect is indeed 6-foot-7. Following rumors surrounding Tournebize’s height, Staley posted the viral ‘6 7’ meme on social media.

“Yes SIX SEVEN,” she captioned the meme on X. Speaking ahead of Tournebize’s arrival, Staley was excited for the new weapon she had at her disposal.

“Alicia has an incredible skill set and basketball IQ,” Staley said. “She has great touch around the rim, can shoot it out to the 3-point line, and is a shot blocker.

“We’re excited that she and her family chose to bring her game to Columbia. The FAMS are going to enjoy what she adds to our team on the court and off.”

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Alicia Tournebize of Tango Bourges Basket has gained a reputation for dunking(Image: © 2025 SOPA Images)

Tournebize is set to tower over Staley, who stands at 5-foot-6. It’s another exciting addition for Staley, who has benefitted from European transactions and the NCAA transfer portal when building her rosters.

Following the recent 105-43 win over Florida Gulf Coast, Staley was asked about building chemistry when making additions through the transfer portal and other means. “Yeah, I mean, especially when you add pieces that are integral parts of what you do,” she said.

“I mean, we’re going to rely on Ta’Niya [Latson] to be who who she is, you know, and we’re going to rely on Madina [Okot] to be who she is, and then, along the way, we’re going to ask people that haven’t played a role for us, that they have to play for us starting, Tessa [Johnson] is starting, right?

“And Joyce is starting, you know, other people have to play roles for us, that they haven’t to play. So it’s all new to us, and I do think, just any time, if you can get two days of practicing, if you can get just two days of practice, you can move the chain when it comes to the things that you need to really get better at.”