South Carolina women's basketball: Ayla McDowell signs with the Gamecocks
Wing Ayla McDowell is officially a Gamecocks. She signed her financial aid agreement during a signing ceremony Wednesday morning. McDowell committed to South Carolina on October 24, giving the Gamecocks their first commitment of the 2025 class.
McDowell’s other finalists were Georgia Tech, Florida, LSU, TCU, and Mississippi State.
McDowell visited Columbia on October 5 and attended South Carolina’s football game against Ole Miss. She announced following the visit that she was shutting down her recruitment.
Following the visit, McDowell described her visit to On3’s Talia Goodman.
“It was just a great environment,” she said. “I felt loved by the coaches, loved by the players. I got to see everything. I didn’t expect it to be as good as I thought it was going to be, but it’s pretty chill. South Carolina is a good place to be. Everything is very close by and engineering is amazing as well. So, I mean, I just felt loved. I’ve been talking to Dawn [Staley] for some time now, and it’s always a good conversation when we’re on the phone.”
McDowell is a 6-2 wing from Cypress, TX. She plays for Cy-Fair, who won the Nike national championship in 2024. She is ranked 24th in the class by On3 and 22nd by ESPN HoopGurlz.
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McDowell competes internationally for Brazil and had a strong showing at the U18 AmeriCup over the summer. She averaged 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds and finished as the second-leading scorer and ninth-leading rebounder in the tournament.
McDowell is a versatile player with a nice mid-range jump shot who finishes well at the rim. McDowell has three-point range, although she needs to get more consistent from behind the arc. She scored her 2,000th career point in her last game. Her size and athleticism make McDowell a good defender.
