South Carolina women's basketball: Ayla McDowell names to Brazil's AmeriCup preliminary roster
South Carolina’s incoming freshman Ayla McDowell has been named to Brazil’s preliminary roster for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup tournament in Chile.
McDowell is a 6-2 wing from Houston who is ranked 15th in the 2025 class. Although she was born in the United States, her mother is from Brazil, so McDowell competes internationally for Brazil.
She made her FIBA debut for Brazil at the U18 AmeriCup last summer. McDowell also competed for the World team at the Nike Hoop Summit in April. She played in two exhibitions with Brazil against WNBA teams in May.
Making Brazil’s preliminary roster does not guarantee McDowell will play in the AmeriCup tournament. The players on the preliminary roster will participate in training camp beginning on June 15. A friendly against Canada is scheduled for June 22.
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The AmeriCup tournament runs from June 28 through July 6. The roster has to be trimmed from 18 to 12 before the tournament.
Brazil’s two WNBA players, Kamilla Cardoso and Damiris Dantas, have been excused from training camp to continue with the WNBA season. They are being allowed to join the team for the tournament only.
Cardoso led Brazil to the gold medal in the 2023 AmeriCup, beating the USA (and her teammate Raven Johnson) in the final. Cardoso was named tournament MVP, setting the stage for her dominant senior season at South Carolina.
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AmeriCup is a qualifying tournament for the World Cup and the Olympics and is open to senior national teams. However, countries like the United States that have a deep talent pool often send developmental teams.
The United States and Canada have not announced their training camp rosters. USA Basketball typically uses college players for AmeriCup, so some current Gamecocks could be invited. Duke’s Kara Lawson is the head coach, with assistants DeLisha Milton-Jones (Old Dominion) and Jennie Baranczyk (Oklahoma).
Incoming freshman Agot Makeer starred for Canada at the U18 AmeriCup last summer, when she was named to the All-Star Five. With most of Canada’s best players playing in the WNBA, Makeer, who is part of the 25-player senior national team athlete pool, could get an invite as well.
Former Gamecock Laeticia Amihere, a two-time Olympian for Canada, is not part of the athlete pool. It’s unclear whether that means she is ineligible for the AmeriCup.
