French guard Marine Dursus commits to UConn Women’s Basketball

Unlike the past two offseasons, the UConn women’s basketball team did not add anyone from the transfer portal. Connecticut instead focused their attention back on the international pool.

Out of that dive came the Huskies’ first roster addition since last November. Marine Dursus, a 5-foot-10 guard from France, announced her commitment to UConn Friday morning. Dursus will be the Huskies’ first French player since Lou Lopez Senechal.

“Taking the next step… see you soon UConn,” the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket All-Star 5 Team selection posted on her Instagram page.

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Dursus joins an incoming class that features Rivals No. 4 recruit Olivia Vukosa and 5-foot-8 guard Jovana Popovic. That trio has no shortage of European talent. Vukosa, a New York native and the Gatorade National Girls Player of the Year, has Croatian heritage. Popovic, meanwhile, will be UConn’s first player from Serbia.

The Institut National du Sport alum spent last season with Union Feminine Angers Basket 49 in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball. Over 18 games, Dursus averaged 9.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 20 minutes. The former Pole France player has played in three EuroCups while with Angers. Her most recent outing resulted in her best numbers, however. Dursus recorded 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals a night in eight EuroCup contests.

Player	Country of Origin
Evelyn Adebayo	United Kingdom*
Anna Makurat	Poland*
Aaliyah Edwards	Canada
Nika Mühl	Croatia
Dorka Juhasz	Hungary*
Ines Bettencourt	Portugal*
Lou Lopez Senechal	France*
Jana El Alfy	Egypt*
Gandy Malou-Mamel	Ireland*
Blanca Quiñonez	Ecuador*
Jovana Popovic	Serbia*
Marine Dursus	France

This table is ordered by the year that each player first enrolled at UConn.
*Denotes first player to be from that country of origin.

Outside of France, the 2025 WNBA Draft prospect has been a key contributor in multiple EuroBasket championships. Across five EuroBasket appearances, Dursus has averaged double figures four times and secured at least one steal per game. In her last three tournaments, the 20-year-old guard has shot better than 50% from the floor and 40% from downtown.

Geno Auriemma’s roster next season will feature five international players representing three different continents. Dursus, Popovic and Blanca Quiñonez have experience playing in Europe. Gandy Malou-Mamel played on Ireland’s U20 team at the 2024 FIBA EuroBasket championships. That diverse mix should help the Huskies in their pursuit of reclaiming national championship glory.

Envisioning Dursus’ upcoming season in Storrs

Marine Dursus appeared in five EuroBasket and Women’s European Championships with French National Youth teams between 2021 and 2025. Dursus won one gold, a silver, and two bronze medals while averaging double figures in four of the five tournaments. – FIBA

Dursus will be 21 when UConn’s 2026-27 campaign begins in November. Whether the French guard has one year of eligibility or four currently remains unknown.

Regardless of her eligibility status, Dursus initially figures to be the Huskies’ No. 3 shooting guard. Having her veteran presence there could take some pressure off Ashlynn Shade and Allie Ziebell’s shoulders. That could make Connecticut’s transition following Azzi Fudd’s departure to the WNBA that much smoother.

Dursus will have some ties to the program when she arrives in Storrs. The Team World guard faced Shade and KK Arnold at the inaugural women’s Nike Hoop Summit in 2023. A year later, Dursus played alongside Quiñonez at the NBA Basketball Without Borders Camp.

The sooner she settles into Auriemma’s system, the sooner the FIBA U16 Women’s European Challengers participant may climb up the depth chart. With how deep the Huskies’ backcourt is, Dursus could find herself playing at both the two and the three. If that is the case, the former UFAB veteran should average around 75% of the minutes she saw in France.

“It is exciting to find players who naturally are blessed with the ability to score,” Auriemma said in a press release published Friday afternoon. “Marine’s greatest assets are she plays exceptionally hard, she is competitive and she is used to playing at a high level.”

Dursus’ overall game is a pivotal combination of multiple players’ top skills. She has Kayleigh Heckel’s defensive peskiness, Arnold’s speed, Shade’s tenacity, Sarah Strong’s determination and Ziebell’s long-range prowess. Possessing a deep shot arsenal and sensational court vision make the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship All-Star 5 selection just as dynamic.

There is potential for Dursus to become an All-Big East selection, which would be her ceiling. Even if that does not happen, the Strasbourg native will be an X-factor on a reloading squad.