Could South Carolina’s reign over women’s college basketball in this day and age be better than when UConn did it about ten years ago? It could be argued that head coach Dawn Staley is doing it at a time when it is so hard with NIL and the transfer portal. Either way, Staley continues to show her commitment to making South Carolina the best program year in and year out.

Staley announced that she has the first signee of her 2025 class, and it just so happens to be a five-star recruit from Cypress, Texas. Ayla McDowell announced that she will be joining the Gamecocks next season with four years of eligibility. Staley is as excited as she can be to get McDowell into her program and see how she can help the Gamecocks.

“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 in her press conference announcing the recruit.

McDowell is ranked as the No. 22 recruit in the Class of 2025, according to ESPNW 100, and averaged 19.6 points per game, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.4 assists as a junior at Cypress Spring High School. Her size and length are what set her apart on the court, and Staley highlighted her ability to score at all three levels on the court.

Even at the age of 17, McDowell had already competed internationally with the U18 USA Women’s Basketball team when she competed in Brazil in the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup as she led her team with 14.8 points per game, which happened to be the second-highest of anyone else in the tournament.