Ayla McDowell Chooses South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley announced that Ayla McDowell (Cypress, TX / Cypress Springs) will join the Gamecocks with four years of eligibility beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

“Ayla is an elite wing who can score at all three levels and is a Swiss army knife on defense with the ability to guard every position,” Staley said. “She is blessed with great size and athleticism that allow her to impact the game on both ends of the floor. A winner at every level, she moves the needle for her teams. As selfless as she is on the floor, she is even more of a giver off it, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Ayla and her family to Columbia.”

Ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2025 espnW 100, McDowell averaged 19.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists as a junior at Cypress Springs, which posted a 30-3 record and advanced to the 6A regional semifinals. She also competed for Brazil in the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup, leading her team with 14.8 points per game, which was the second-highest average in the tournament, and was second in rebounding with a 7.7 average. In Brazil’s loss to the U.S., she posted 10 points and seven rebounds.

McDowell is the first signee of Staley’s 2025 class.