Champion Basket Landes reveals its 2025/26 roster and bids farewell to historic leader Marie-Laure Lafargue

A few days after winning another French championship title, Basket Landes announced its complete roster for 2025/26.

There will be six returning champions as Louise Bussiere has extended her contract, joining finals MVP Leila Lacan, Marie Pardon, Myriam Djekoundade, Sixtine Macquet and Yohana Ewodo among the contracted players at Basket Landes.

The six champions now know their new teammates as the club has officially announced the signing of four players and a new assistant coach to work alongside Julie Barennes.

4 nouvelles joueuses et une nouvelle assistante débarquent à Basket Landes ‼️

➕ d’infos ➡️ https://t.co/D66LVXO1F6 pic.twitter.com/wbw9lDhifM

— Basket Landes (@BasketLandes) May 27, 2025

Droguet joins the championship team

French national team member Camille Droguet (1.78m, 25), runner-up with Tarbes Gespe Bigorre, has signed for two seasons with Basket Landes. The ASVEL Féminin youth academy graduate hopes to take her game to the next level under Julie Barennes. Given significant responsibility at Tarbes where she averaged 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 32 minutes, she will bring her speed and aim to build on her success.

« Camille wanted to join us and with her personal qualities and everything she brings, I think she perfectly matches what Basket Landes is about, » says Julie Barennes. « She’s coming to us to refine her game after having lots of responsibility. The goal is to develop her as a shooting guard while keeping her versatility, but to help her grow with us. »

Same for Wojta

Julie Wojta (1.83m, 36) is another known addition to the club. Known for her defensive skills and leadership, she will bring all her experience to Julie Barennes’ team. Previously at Angers, where she first played with future teammate Leïla Lacan, then ASVEL Féminin, she averaged 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a 12.7 efficiency rating in 28 minutes.

« Julie is an excellent defender, as we saw when she guarded Luisa in our matchups this season, » notes Julie Barennes. « She’ll especially bring her experience: she’s been playing around Europe for 15 years and knows the French league well. She’s a player who easily integrates into a team. She also has offensive skills: she can shoot threes and attack the rim. She’s quite complete and will make the game easier for her teammates. »

Gülich, one German replaces another

In the interior, Basket Landes has bet on the experience and efficiency of Marie Gülich (1.96m, 30). The German international – who replaces her compatriot Luisa Geiselsoder, who left for Mersin in Turkey – will bring her effectiveness under the basket. Last season, the former Gdynia and Valencia player competed in Taiwan’s championship averaging 14.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26 minutes.

« She’s a very tall center (1.96m) with real basketball IQ, » describes Julie Barennes. « She can shoot from distance and has good skills near the basket. She’s an experienced player, used to playing in EuroLeague. She played at Valencia for several years and knows high-level basketball very well. She’s not here to replace Luisa, she’s here to be herself, to be Marie. She’s a different type of player. She’ll bring us a certain reliability in her performances. »

Massey, a European champion arrives

Finally, Basket Landes has confirmed the signing of Becky Massey (1.86m, 25) for two seasons. After three years in Spain, the Belgian international wants to establish herself in the French league. She already has significant experience with the Belgian Cats, with whom she won EuroBasket in 2023 and played an Olympic semifinal against the French team of her future teammate Leila Lacan last year.

« Her recruitment fits with what we sometimes do well: finding young players who aren’t yet used to these championships, so they can gain experience and develop their full potential. She’s a complete player, capable of playing positions 3 and 4, and doing many things on the court. The goal will be to gradually guide her toward the highest level. »

Marie-Julie Levant, new assistant to Julie Barennes

On the staff side, the club announced the arrival of a new assistant coach to join Julie Barennes on the bench. Marie-Julie Levant comes to Basket Landes. Assistant coach to Benoît Marty at Chartres since 2019, she knows Julie Barennes well having won the U20 EuroBasket with her last summer. She will replace Shona Thoburn, who wanted to take a break. Meanwhile, Olivier Constant has extended for two years.

« I’m happy Marie-Julie accepted the project to come to Basket Landes, » says Julie Barennes. « She has human qualities that will undoubtedly match what people love about us. She also has her playing experience, and she’s been an assistant for about ten years. She’s held several positions. So she’ll come complete our staff. »

Marie-Laure Lafargue is leaving

Finally, this 2025/26 season will be the first in over fifteen years without a historic leader, Marie-Laure Lafargue, former president turned general manager, who will leave her position on September 1st.

« A 15-year tenure in a professional career is very long, » she told Sud Ouest. « I’m changing my life, but this long journey and beautiful adventure with Basket Landes has fulfilled me greatly for 15 years. But it’s not always easy to run a professional basketball club. In 2023, I had definitely decided to stop in 2025. I’m very committed to succession planning and with Audrey (Lacroix, the president), I had committed to one last round. In mid-winter, I requested a mutual termination which the board granted. Since then, we’ve been working on this transition. I’m delighted that Audrey is taking over the keys to the house. And I also have strong desires for new professional projects. »

Going forward, Marie-Laure Lafargue, who led Basket Landes to two national titles, plans to start her own company. « I want to bring my developer’s perspective to small and medium businesses, to provide administrative skills they don’t always have, » she indicates.