Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks face a challenging trip to Paris to kick off their women's basketball season. Civil unrest in France has raised serious concerns ahead of the team's trip to the French capital.
Staley said she has been assured that every safety protocol will be in place to ensure a smooth trip to the European city.
"The event organizer, they know we don't want to put any of our teams, our players in harm's way," Staley told reporters on Tuesday (via The State) .
"They assured us that the place is secure. There is a security organization that all the teams have to make sure that it's a safe environment."
Staley said she is maintaining constant communication with key decision-makers in France.
"We've been talking about it," she added. "We've actually got people who are there that's giving us just some insight on how things are. I think they're closing stores a lot earlier."
South Carolina Gamecocks star Alicia Tournebize is expected to have an emotional homecoming as she returns to her home country, France, for the Gamecocks' opener against Maryland.
"I'm gonna try to treat it like other games, but the context is much different," she said in an interview with Greenville News .
"It's gonna be weird because it's two different parts (of my life), playing in South Carolina and then playing back in France."
Tournebize said she is "excited" at the prospect of playing in front of friends and family.
"Playing in Paris, it's gonna be so much fun … I'm just really excited to go back, see my family too, and just have my people be able to actually see me in person because it's been a while."
South Carolina and Maryland will face off at the Adidas Arena on Nov. 2.
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