UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger announces the commitment of Tea Cleante to her 2025-26 squad. Cleante is a 5’9 guard from France who brings a wealth of basketball experience at the national level.
"We’re ecstatic to welcome Téa to our Lady Lion family," said Kieger. "She brings a fierce competitive spirit, high-level guard skills, and a team-first mentality that fits seamlessly into our culture. Her addition rounds out an already strong and dynamic backcourt, giving us even more depth, versatility, and toughness on both ends of the floor. We’re excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to get to work with her in Happy Valley."
Cleante has represented her home country of France at multiple different levels throughout her young career including playing with the U17, U16, U18 and U19 squads. In 2022, she helped France win a gold medal at the U16 European Championships. Throughout the campaign, she played in seven contests averaging 12.3 points per game, 4.3 assists per game and 2.4 rebounds per game at an elite efficiency of 16.1. The following year in 2023, the France native helped her country to another medal at the U18 European Championships, winning silver while averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The talented guard’s breakout season came in 2024 as she guided her team back to a gold medal at the U18 European Championship in Portugal. Throughout her seven-game campaign for the national team, she produced 13.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game. Cleante’s key performance in the Championship game, where she posted 16 points, seven assists and three steals, helped lift her team to another gold medal.
Cleante was most recently selected to represent France at the U19 World Cup this summer.