South Carolina women's basketball: Breaking down how Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell played at the World Cup

South Carolina’s Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell competed in the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup, giving us our first extended look at the freshmen. What did we learn about the talented newcomers?

The U19 World Cup is usually a good indicator of collegiate success. It is more structured than the all-star games or AAU, with coaching (by good college coaches) and defense. 

The other players are almost all rising college freshmen or sophomores, so they have a similar experience level. While there is a significant talent gap between the best and worst teams, most are on a similar level because they have to qualify for the tournament.

Makeer and McDowell were in different situations. Makeer was the third or fourth option on a talented Canada team that was one of the favorites to medal. McDowell was the first, and sometimes it felt like the only, option for Brazil, one of the weakest teams in the tournament.

Brazil lost all but one game, often in blowouts. The team did seem to play better as the week went on, but McDowell was often tasked with creating a shot on her own. That allowed defenses to key on her until she threw up a desperate shot at the end of the shot clock. McDowell was held to 29.4% shooting and 28.6% from three.

McDowell averaged 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.5 assists for the tournament. She was the seventh-leading scorer for the week, and fifth in steals.

Observations

It was tougher to analyze McDowell’s game because she had so little help. She was asked to do too much and against better opponents.

The positive is that McDowell produced. She still scored, and she got to the line (top ten in free throw attempts). Her 4.5 rebounds are a good number for a wing.

In Brazil’s last two games, McDowell shot 41.4%, although she was still under 30% from three. That was the same as her tournament average. 

Despite the low shooting percentage, McDowell took almost half of her shots from three. Hopefully that doesn’t become a habit because that would get her a quick trip to the bench next season.

There’s a saying that your defense is the only thing you can control, and McDowell defended well. She had four games with three or more steals

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Canada went undefeated in group play and didn’t lose until playing Australia in the semifinals. Then Canada lost a 70-68 heartbreaker to Spain in the bronze medal game, which nearly gave Makeer a signature moment.

With 4.7 seconds left, Makeer stole Spain’s inbounds pass. She dribbled upcourt and launched a three as time expired, but the would-be game-winner was just off the mark.

Makeer averaged 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals. She didn’t start for Canada, but was often in the closing lineup and started the third quarter a couple of times.

Observations

Throughout the tournament, Makeer flashed moments of breathtaking brilliance. She also seemed to coast at times.

Makeer’s shooting form is not ideal. She sort of pushes from her chin. But it works: her release is quick and it goes in. She shot 46.2% for the tournament and made five straight against Nigeria. I don’t know whether you try to tweak her form or not.

Makeer also looked good driving with the ball, but her handle is a little loose. Quick defenders who could stay with her were able to force her into some turnovers. Makeer was still reliable enough that Canada trusted her to bring the ball up against pressure and occasionally play point guard.

She was a strong defender, using her long arms to disrupt passing lanes and get steals. That steal against Spain wasn’t a fluke.

People are concerned about how skinny Makeer is, but it didn’t seem to be a problem in the World Cup. She is able to use her length to make up for the lack of bulk. However, there was an amusing play where she tried to set a screen, and the defender ran through Makeer like she wasn’t even there.

I made a note during a couple of games that Makeer seems to float a lot on both ends of the court. That meant she doesn’t always move with purpose, and she sometimes gets caught out of position as a result. It was a stark contrast with her teammate Syla Swords, one of the best players in the tournament, who constantly moves with purpose. 

It shouldn’t be a problem for Dawn Staley to coach that out of Makeer. Familiarity with her teammates and the system should help.

Overall, it was a very impressive World Cup for Makeer.

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