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COLUMBIA — Thirty-two summers ago Isabelle Fijalkowski battled Dawn Staley on the court.
Staley and the United States took home an 87-63 win over Fijalkowski and France at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. Over three decades later, Fijalkowski re-entered Staley's life.
Not as a competitor, but instead, she brought Staley a 6-foot-7 forward.
Fijalkowski's daughter Alicia Tournebize committed to South Carolina women's basketball in December, joining the team midway through the season. Raised in France, Tournebize played professionally before starting her college career with Staley in Columbia.
"Ali, she's going to be a monster, I think," South Carolina associate head coach Lisa Boyer told The Greenville News. "Her mother was a tough cookie."
Fijalkowski, a 6-foot-5 center, is from Clermont-Ferrand, France, and played one college season for Colorado in 1994-95. She was drafted into the WNBA in 1997 and was an Eastern Conference champion with the Cleveland Rockers in 1998.
In addition to two WNBA seasons, she became a two-time EuroLeague champion, five-time French League champion and two-time French League MVP. To honor her lengthy professional career in France, she will be inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on June 27.
As for her daughter, the Gamecocks haven't seen a full version of Tournebize yet. The 18-year-old has played in 20 games, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds and shooting 41.8% from the floor.
"Ali's very skilled. I think her mother had a lot to do with some of her early training," Boyer said.
Given her early arrival, Tournebize never got a full summer of preseason workouts and strength training before taking the floor. That'll likely play a vital role in her growth heading into 2026-27, when she is expected to be a key reserve in a loaded frontcourt for South Carolina.
Tournebize has the height and length that most centers posses but her game is just as fluid as a wing guard. South Carolina had a true center in 6-6 Madina Okot when Tournebize arrived, which allowed her to get comfortable in the system by mainly working around the middle of the paint.
"She is very, very fundamental," Boyer said. "There's very few flaws in her game when it comes to like how she shoots and all that kind of stuff. She's got a pretty shot."
Though she has yet to dunk in an actual college game, she threw down both one- and two-handed dunks when playing professionally. She said she understands why fans get excited when she touches the ball but doesn't ever want to force a dunk.
South Carolina's roster has a variety of post talent and Tournebize could be utilized in a variety of ways, especially if she adds some strength to her inside game. She is crafty around the rim but often took short jumpers given her nice touch, instead of lowering a shoulder to invite contact.
There isn't one main center on the roster with Okot now in the WNBA, but Joyce Edwards (6-foot-3) and Chloe Kitts (6-foot-2) will happily work a high-low game with Tournebize if she wants to draw defenders then feed them inside.
On the flip side, Tournebize could play closer to the rim, especially because Kitts has a crisp mid-range jumper as well.
Tournebize is in an ideal spot heading into the preseason, which is set to start late June. She has depth ahead of her so she won't be thrust into the spotlight, but she has the chance to be an X-factor and carve out meaningful minutes off the bench.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina staff confident about Alicia Tournebize because of mom
Continue reading...
Staley and the United States took home an 87-63 win over Fijalkowski and France at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. Over three decades later, Fijalkowski re-entered Staley's life.
Not as a competitor, but instead, she brought Staley a 6-foot-7 forward.
Fijalkowski's daughter Alicia Tournebize committed to South Carolina women's basketball in December, joining the team midway through the season. Raised in France, Tournebize played professionally before starting her college career with Staley in Columbia.
"Ali, she's going to be a monster, I think," South Carolina associate head coach Lisa Boyer told The Greenville News. "Her mother was a tough cookie."
Alicia Tournebize's mom had Hall of Fame career
Fijalkowski, a 6-foot-5 center, is from Clermont-Ferrand, France, and played one college season for Colorado in 1994-95. She was drafted into the WNBA in 1997 and was an Eastern Conference champion with the Cleveland Rockers in 1998.
In addition to two WNBA seasons, she became a two-time EuroLeague champion, five-time French League champion and two-time French League MVP. To honor her lengthy professional career in France, she will be inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on June 27.
As for her daughter, the Gamecocks haven't seen a full version of Tournebize yet. The 18-year-old has played in 20 games, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds and shooting 41.8% from the floor.
"Ali's very skilled. I think her mother had a lot to do with some of her early training," Boyer said.
Given her early arrival, Tournebize never got a full summer of preseason workouts and strength training before taking the floor. That'll likely play a vital role in her growth heading into 2026-27, when she is expected to be a key reserve in a loaded frontcourt for South Carolina.
Tournebize has the height and length that most centers posses but her game is just as fluid as a wing guard. South Carolina had a true center in 6-6 Madina Okot when Tournebize arrived, which allowed her to get comfortable in the system by mainly working around the middle of the paint.
"She is very, very fundamental," Boyer said. "There's very few flaws in her game when it comes to like how she shoots and all that kind of stuff. She's got a pretty shot."
Will Alicia Tournebize dunk for South Carolina in 2026-27?
Though she has yet to dunk in an actual college game, she threw down both one- and two-handed dunks when playing professionally. She said she understands why fans get excited when she touches the ball but doesn't ever want to force a dunk.
South Carolina's roster has a variety of post talent and Tournebize could be utilized in a variety of ways, especially if she adds some strength to her inside game. She is crafty around the rim but often took short jumpers given her nice touch, instead of lowering a shoulder to invite contact.
There isn't one main center on the roster with Okot now in the WNBA, but Joyce Edwards (6-foot-3) and Chloe Kitts (6-foot-2) will happily work a high-low game with Tournebize if she wants to draw defenders then feed them inside.
On the flip side, Tournebize could play closer to the rim, especially because Kitts has a crisp mid-range jumper as well.
Tournebize is in an ideal spot heading into the preseason, which is set to start late June. She has depth ahead of her so she won't be thrust into the spotlight, but she has the chance to be an X-factor and carve out meaningful minutes off the bench.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina staff confident about Alicia Tournebize because of mom
Continue reading...
