Over the past two years, a record number of young French people have left the French championship for the NCAA, now able to pay its student-athletes via the NIL. The announced hemorrhage in women’s basketball in the summer of 2026 takes a premature turn with the departure of French prospects… mid-season!
After Alicia Tournebize, it is Melissa Guillet (1.84 m, 19 years old), important player of La Tronche, the leader of LF2, who is leaving for the winter break for a university program.
“An American Dream” became “a goal”
At the age of 19, Mélissa Guillet was one of the great architects of La Tronche Meylan’s remarkable start to the season. Leader of Ligue 2, the Isère club is still undefeated at home this season in the league. Within a contender for promotion to the Boulangère Wonderligue, the French U19 international had carved out an important place for herself in the rotation, contributing 7 points and 2.6 rebounds on average in just 17 minutes per game.
PLAYER PROFILE
Post(s): Back / Winger
Size: 184 cm
Age: 19 ans (01/03/2006)
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Before starting the current season, Téa Cléante’s teammate in the youth team – who left for the NCAA six months before her – was invited to the NBA Basketball Without Borders last July. She was then « completely seduced by the project and the American environment”we hear from those around him. “A first American dream” became « and objective “, as she admits in a thank you video on BCTM social networks.
His camp therefore agreed to an end to collaboration with La Tronche, « who remained exemplary and extremely professional from start to finish” with Mélissa Guillet.
Premature departures in NCAA Women
If the drain of female talent was something expected in clubs in the summer of 2026, it is finally starting earlier than expected. Mélissa Guillet is the second player in two days to formalize her departure from LFB, after Alicia Tournebize in Bourges.
In the case of the tricolor rear, which actually had to « join a university next summer »the opportunity presented itself to « come earlier » for the purpose of performance at the next school year, we are made to understand. Initially, reduced in pressure, it will be able to « s’adapterget to grips with the context, take English lessons, and maybe even play already”with performance expectations rather fixed in the medium term.
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