Recruiting: Marine Dursus | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Recruiting: Marine Dursus

BobbyJ said:
With the interior vulnerability of next year's team against quality teams, Strong and BQ will be playing about 35-38 mpg. But Otto would probably have been great against the BE. Too bad she's off the market. GA will have to keep shopping.
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I see no interior vulnerability against anyone. Please explain.
 
Charliebball said:
Even if she's only here for a year, it could impact the development of the other young guards on the roster.......the odds of Geno teaming her with Popovic while KK, K9 and Allie are all ahead of them on the depth chart seems somewhat unlikely unless you're talking about the fourth quarter.........I'd only be interested if she was a reliable 38% plus three-point shooter because long-range shooting may be a weakness for this team next season........if she was 6'2" plus I'd be far more enthusiastic.....
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She could take minutes from the other guards, specifically Popovic & Fisher. Development is very important but not as important than winning right now.

If Dursus is a 50-40-80 volume shooter she fits. Ziebell is the only backcourt player who can be relied on as a volume shooter right now. When she is sitting defenses can collapse.

UConn has earned a reputation for being a springboard to a successful WNBA career. A 21 year-old with Euro experience, playing against pro defenses, is better than a 5th year college player IMO.
 
Alydar said:
She could take minutes from the other guards, specifically Popovic & Fisher. Development is very important but not as important than winning right now.

If Dursus is a 50-40-80 volume shooter she fits. Ziebell is the only backcourt player who can be relied on as a volume shooter right now. When she is sitting defenses can collapse.

UConn has earned a reputation for being a springboard to a successful WNBA career. A 21 year-old with Euro experience, playing against pro defenses, is better than a 5th year college player IMO.
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At 21 years of age, how long do you think she is staying at UConn? Unless she is earning real NIL money, why not turn pro after a year or two max?
 
Alydar said:
I see no interior vulnerability against anyone. Please explain.
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What happens if Strong and Blanca got in foul trouble? What would we do? If JuJu get they have Hall or Davidson to take over. If Edwards gets in foul trouble they have Watkins Kitts, Olivia the freshman, and for that matter 2 other freshman who will get playing time. We don't have the depth and we lack team speed compared to the other top teams. If there is 1 thing to work on this off season it would be team speed and quickness.
 
Charliebball said:
At 21 years of age, how long do you think she is staying at UConn? Unless she is earning real NIL money, why not turn pro after a year or two max?
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She could stay in France and get drafted next year. It seems unlikely to me she would come to the US, play one year, and then bolt.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
She could stay in France and get drafted next year. It seems unlikely to me she would come to the US, play one year, and then bolt.
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I guess the question is, why would such a skilled and experienced 21 year old player want to spend four years in college when she can go pro, unless she actually wants a degree?
 
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Charliebball said:
At 21 years of age, how long do you think she is staying at UConn? Unless she is earning real NIL money, why not turn pro after a year or two max?
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Whether she stays 1,2, or 3 years, Auriemma needs shooters now to maximize the last two years of Sarah Strong. She would give him experienced, ready to play help now while he recruits the 2027/28 classes to rebuild his core for when Strong and Quinonez leave.
 
BobbyJ said:
Whether she stays 1,2, or 3 years, Auriemma needs shooters now to maximize the last two years of Sarah Strong. She would give him experienced, ready to play help now while he recruits the 2027/28 classes to rebuild his core for when Strong and Quinonez leave.
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@BobbyJ I agree that maximizing Sarah's time at UCONN is paramount. Just a strong feeling, but I expect a commitment announcement regarding Marine soon.
 
RoadWarrior said:
@BobbyJ I agree that maximizing Sarah's time at UCONN is paramount. Just a strong feeling, but I expect a commitment announcement regarding Marine soon.
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Could be. The timeline would make sense since it looks like the summer session runs from June 1 to July 2.
 
It certainly seems that France’s most talented female players are now choosing to play in the NCAA. Typically, the top prospects used to opt to play for a European professional team.

I believe that the fact that some NCAA teams have kicked off their seasons in Europe in recent years has certainly made a difference. The athletes have seen all the opportunities and benefits available to them by choosing the NCAA. Alicia Tournebize paved the way at the end of 2025 by joining South Carolina. Recently, Kathy-Emma Otto and Emma Broliron signed with Michigan State, and yesterday Justine Loubens did the same with South Carolina.

With the exception of Justine Loubens, who was born in 2007, all these players will need to play a minimum of four seasons in the NCAA to be eligible for the WNBA draft; for Loubens, the minimum is set at three. Marine Dursus was born in 2005, which means she could declare for the draft after just one season. My opinion is that I believe she would play at least two. In her case, I don’t know how many years of eligibility the NCAA would grant her. However, if she stays healthy, she is a player who could join the rotation as early as next season.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
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Hawk said:
If UConn thought her foot would be an issue I’m sure she wouldn’t be recruited by them. It takes 2 months for a broken bone to heal. Summer session doesn’t even start until summer and the season is 7 months away that’s over half a year. And she’s already had 2 months of healing.
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Dursus plays for Angers UFP 49 in France. In reviewing their games on the Eurobasket website it appears that she had not played since January 31, 2026.

However, she played on May 6 for the first time since then and scored 11 points in 19 minutes on 4 of 6 shooting including 3 of 4 from three, plus five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

So who knows if this goes anywhere but at least the foot injury should not be an issue going forward.
 
Alydar said:
She could take minutes from the other guards, specifically Popovic & Fisher. Development is very important but not as important than winning right now.

If Dursus is a 50-40-80 volume shooter she fits. Ziebell is the only backcourt player who can be relied on as a volume shooter right now. When she is sitting defenses can collapse.

UConn has earned a reputation for being a springboard to a successful WNBA career. A 21 year-old with Euro experience, playing against pro defenses, is better than a 5th year college player IMO.
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Marine is interesting, but Jovana will be ready to contribute from Day 1, even more so than Blanca. Jovana was a ridiculously talented scorer this past season, averaging 27 ppg. She is a 3-level scorer who can play the 1 or 2, gets to her spot off the dribble and shot an unbelievable 54% from the arc on 74/137 shooting…….
 
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Hawk said:
She looks good for a first game in 4 months and coming back from foot surgery.
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With the regular season having ended in late March, Angers—having failed to finish among the top 8 teams—is now forced to play in the playdowns. The bottom four teams will thus have to play a mini-league consisting of a total of six games (two against each other). The team that finishes in last place will be relegated to the second division next season. After its first four games, Angers had a 1-3 record, which may have hastened Marine Dursus’s return a bit sooner. With a win in their last game, Angers is now guaranteed to remain in the first division next season. They have one game left, on May 12. Full video of the last game, showing her entering the game, #8 in the blue jersey. Also included is a translation of the press release about her on the team’s official website.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)


Official Statement - Marine Dursus

Good news on the sports front: Marine Dursus is making her return sooner than expected thanks to a rigorous rehabilitation program. This is excellent news for the team, which will once again be able to count on her dedication and contribution on the field for the rest of the season, starting tonight against Toulouse.
 
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asuwish said:
What happens if Strong and Blanca got in foul trouble? What would we do? If JuJu get they have Hall or Davidson to take over. If Edwards gets in foul trouble they have Watkins Kitts, Olivia the freshman, and for that matter 2 other freshman who will get playing time. We don't have the depth and we lack team speed compared to the other top teams. If there is 1 thing to work on this off season it would be team speed and quickness.
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If's? I can imagine all sorts of scenarios where UConn has a bad to mediocre season. If Strong and Q get in foul trouble? Yeah, others will have to play better. But you can play what if with JuJu too. What if she comes back less of a player, or has a second ACL? Or what if Watkins and Kitts neve recover their pre-ACL level of play.

Life is full of possibilities but they apply to every program. If you want UConn to have 2 AA's sitting on the bench to cover the eventuality you mention then yes, you are right. But make sure you assess every team at that level of possibility.

UConn is loaded. There are no guarantees in life.
 
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This was a girl NC State thought they had wrapped up. It was a very quiet recruitment but the Pack thought they had her and then about 3 or 4 weeks ago word started leaking out that UConn had swooped in and she would be heading there. I wonder what the hold up is? I would have expected an announcement by now.
 
FanInNC said:
This was a girl NC State thought they had wrapped up. It was a very quiet recruitment but the Pack thought they had her and then about 3 or 4 weeks ago word started leaking out that UConn had swooped in and she would be heading there. I wonder what the hold up is? I would have expected an announcement by now.
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Her Club season just ended. My sense is that she had to fulfill her contractual commitments before her release. I still expect an announcement soon.
 
RoadWarrior said:
Her Club season just ended. My sense is that she had to fulfill her contractual commitments before her release. I still expect an announcement soon.
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Marine Dursus has already left Angers. May 12 wasn’t just her last game of the season. On her Instagram account, she expressed her gratitude for the three seasons she spent in Angers. She is currently without a contract.

I did try to find out more—I’m a French speaker—and all I found was confirmation of her departure from Angers and that, in this league, May was a very busy month for news, so her status should be known by the end of the month. I conclude that if there’s no news about a new team in Europe, there’s a strong chance she’ll be playing in the U.S. next season.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
From Canada said:
Marine Dursus has already left Angers. May 12 wasn’t just her last game of the season. On her Instagram account, she expressed her gratitude for the three seasons she spent in Angers. She is currently without a contract.

I did try to find out more—I’m a French speaker—and all I found was confirmation of her departure from Angers and that, in this league, May was a very busy month for news, so her status should be known by the end of the month. I conclude that if there’s no news about a new team in Europe, there’s a strong chance she’ll be playing in the U.S. next season.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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translation of her farewell to the French fans:

marinedursus
1d
3 years ago, I arrived in Angers to live my very first experience in the professional world.
I leave today with much more than basketball memories.

These three seasons have made me grow as a player, but especially as a woman.
I've experienced incredible moments, strong emotions, victories, difficulties too... and personal trials that have marked my life. In the hardest moments, the club, the staff, my teammates and the fans have always been there, and I will never forget that.

Thank you to all the people who crossed my path during this adventure.
Thank you for the trust, support and love received since day one.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
She could stay in France and get drafted next year. It seems unlikely to me she would come to the US, play one year, and then bolt.
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Honestly, I'd be fine if she did. At age 21 it's essentially like a one year senior transfer. I wouldn't want a whole team of them, but adding depth with one mature player won't hurt us.
 
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Sluconn Husky said:
She could stay in France and get drafted next year. It seems unlikely to me she would come to the US, play one year, and then bolt.
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From a purely business pov a year playing at UConn would give her far more exposure in the US than another year in France.
UConn seems to prepare players for the W better than any other program. She'd be like a grad-transfer rent-a-player.
 
Alydar said:
From a purely business pov a year playing at UConn would give her far more exposure in the US than another year in France.
UConn seems to prepare players for the W better than any other program. She'd be like a grad-transfer rent-a-player.
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I don't think that playing in the states makes any difference.

The #'s 3 and 7 picks from the last draft are from Spain, the #12 from France.

The previous draft, the #2 pick is French, the #5 pick Lithuanian, the 10th pick Slovenian.

Regardless, I'd be close to shocked if her plan was to play one year of college and then leave.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
I don't think that playing in the states makes any difference.

The #'s 3 and 7 picks from the last draft are from Spain, the #12 from France.

The previous draft, the #2 pick is French, the #5 pick Lithuanian, the 10th pick Slovenian.

Regardless, I'd be close to shocked if her plan was to play one year of college and then leave.
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I don't see her spending four years at UConn as a 21 year old freshman but I guess there's always a first time.....
 
Charliebball said:
I don't see her spending four years at UConn as a 21 year old freshman but I guess there's always a first time.....
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As I mentioned previously, she really doesn’t need to. Auriemma just needs an experienced shooter who can create and get her own shot for a year or two while he targets a couple of premium offensive players in the next couple of classes. If he’s recruiting her then it indicates that he knows he has a need for a skillset that he can’t fill from his current roster.
 
Assuming the 5 in 5 rule passes she can’t spend 4 years in college.

I imagine she’d make as much or more in NIL than she does in France though.
 
FanInNC said:
Assuming the 5 in 5 rule passes she can’t spend 4 years in college.

I imagine she’d make as much or more in NIL than she does in France though.
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There are still a number of restrictions on NIL compensation for foreign born athletes in the US, typically involving F-1 visa limitations.

NIL payments to foreign athletes is generally confined to “passive” income. They can’t appear in commercials shot in the US for instance. If you recall the group commercials shot by various members of the UConn team which was shown frequently during the NCAA tournament, Jana & Blanca did not appear in them.
 
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oldude said:
There are still a number of restrictions on NIL compensation for foreign born athletes in the US, typically involving F-1 visa limitations.
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True, but there are work arounds and based off the number of internationals that flooded the college men’s game last year I’d guess the work arounds are pretty common and widely used. Several foreign players left professional leagues to play college ball last year, I doubt it was for a pay cut.
 
FanInNC said:
True, but there are work arounds and based off the number of internationals that flooded the college men’s game last year I’d guess the work arounds are pretty common and widely used. Several foreign players left professional leagues to play college ball last year, I doubt it was for a pay cut.
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In order for foreign players from professional leagues to be eligible to play at US colleges their compensation in Europe had to be restricted to “reasonable and necessary” expenses such as food and lodging. Essentially they compensated for “room and board” the same as US scholarship athletes. Most are also attending classes in Europe while playing basketball for European clubs. That was Blanca’s scenario.

There are opportunities to earn more money in the US for foreign players. But they are limited by F-1 visa requirements.
 
Can't find the link but yesterday I came a cross an ad for a foreign shoe company with a full body photo of Dursus. So she has a shoe deal. I'm fairly certain that her visa restrictions still allow her to make NIL income from outside the US.
 
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