USC Gamecocks 2024-25 Season: Part Two

[JDuro]

Five-Star Ayla McDowell Commits to South Carolina Women's Basketball

Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball squard continue to add talent to their impressive roster. 2025 five-star forward Ayla McDowell i

www.si.com

Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball squard continue to add talent to their impressive roster. 2025 five-star forward Ayla McDowell is the lastest star recruit to join the Gamecocks.

The do-it all power forward from Cy Springs High in Cypress, TX is the first commitment for the Gamecocks 2025 class. McDowell announced her college decision at Cy Springs choosing South Carolina over TCU, LSU, Florida, Georgia Tech, and Mississippi State.

Here's what 247Sports Women's Basketball Director of Scouting, Brando Clay, had to say about the Gamecock's newest addition:

"McDowell was a high-level option in the frontcourt for arguably the nation's premier club team this season, Cy-Fair Elite. She made her mark by being productive while playing alongside three Top 100-caliber guards. McDowell demonstrated that she is more than capable of running the floor in transition, finishing when her teammates find her, or making it happen herself with rebound putbacks. As she continues to develop her outside jump shot, it will become even tougher for opposing frontcourt players to limit her efficiency."

McDowell is expected to ink her letter of intent during the early signing day period from November 13-20.

 

[triaddukefan]

You scared, bro?

Naw.... Just didn't want to risk spending a night in Richland county jail in case things got a little rowdy after the game. One of yall good people would come bail me out... Right?

 

[Creature]

Five-Star Ayla McDowell Commits to South Carolina Women's Basketball

Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball squard continue to add talent to their impressive roster. 2025 five-star forward Ayla McDowell i

www.si.com

Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball squard continue to add talent to their impressive roster. 2025 five-star forward Ayla McDowell is the lastest star recruit to join the Gamecocks.

The do-it all power forward from Cy Springs High in Cypress, TX is the first commitment for the Gamecocks 2025 class. McDowell announced her college decision at Cy Springs choosing South Carolina over TCU, LSU, Florida, Georgia Tech, and Mississippi State.

Here's what 247Sports Women's Basketball Director of Scouting, Brando Clay, had to say about the Gamecock's newest addition:

"McDowell was a high-level option in the frontcourt for arguably the nation's premier club team this season, Cy-Fair Elite. She made her mark by being productive while playing alongside three Top 100-caliber guards. McDowell demonstrated that she is more than capable of running the floor in transition, finishing when her teammates find her, or making it happen herself with rebound putbacks. As she continues to develop her outside jump shot, it will become even tougher for opposing frontcourt players to limit her efficiency."

McDowell is expected to ink her letter of intent during the early signing day period from November 13-20.

Branfon Clay=Kick Rocks IMO

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I think she's more of a wing than a forward but can probably cover 2-4.

 

[SCGamecock]

In prep ball they call anybody taller than 6'0" a forward... I wouldn't get too caught up in the position label. Prototype 3/4 IMO.

 

[GamecockFam]

In prep ball they call anybody taller than 6'0" a forward... I wouldn't get too caught up in the position label. Prototype 3/4 IMO.

Yeah, I didn't know much about her so I started watching YouTube videos of her playing and came to the same conclusion. She doesn't look quick enough to defend against the type of guards she will see in college at the 1/2 as their primary defender, but I could see her holding her own defending the perimeter if she switches onto a guard. Concerning her offense she does have some handles, is a good dribbler for someone who is 6'2", and can shoot the 3. She looks like she has really long arms and because of that, I found myself comparing her to Dewanna Bonner in some aspects of her game and the college version of Collier at UConn. With that said, I think she would excel at the 4. Comparing to current South Carolina players, I think she has a similar skill set to Kitts with a slightly thicker frame for taking body blows in the front court. But I could also see her playing some in the wing and taking over that spot once Tessa graduates.

 

[SCspur]

She’s not a 4 or PF at the next level. She’s always played on the perimeter and in the backcourt. Naturally she’s a Small Forward. She’s defended Aaliyah Crump, Agot Makeer, Leah Macy, and Grace Knox over this past summer and did well defensively against them. I’m sure she knows she has to play defense in order to play for Dawn. LeLe played on the perimeter without a semblance of a jump shot and actually excelled especially her Junior season. No reason to think Ayla can’t play some 2-4 comfortably, especially being tabbed as a shooter at her height. She reminds me of Kaela Davis with a more potent perimeter shot. To me she’s super underrated for someone with that size and skillset.

 

[GamecockFam]

She’s not a 4 or PF at the next level. She’s always played on the perimeter and in the backcourt. Naturally she’s a Small Forward. She’s defended Aaliyah Crump, Agot Makeer, Leah Macy, and Grace Knox over this past summer and did well defensively against them. I’m sure she knows she has to play defense in order to play for Dawn. LeLe played on the perimeter without a semblance of a jump shot and actually excelled especially her Junior season. No reason to think Ayla can’t play some 2-4 comfortably, especially being tabbed as a shooter at her height. She reminds me of Kaela Davis with a more potent perimeter shot. To me she’s super underrated for someone with that size and skillset.

Yeah, I was getting Kaela Davis vibes, too, the more I watched. I watched some more videos of her playing in the U18 Americup and she plays with a guard mindset. Honestly she looks very different than any other player we have had in recent memory. I can't remember anyone with guard skills at her height in the program.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Yeah, I was getting Kaela Davis vibes, too, the more I watched. I watched some more videos of her playing in the U18 Americup and she plays with a guard mindset. Honestly she looks very different than any other player we have had in recent memory. I can't remember anyone with guard skills at her height in the program.

I thought about that as the size makes for a good direct comparison, but Davis definitely was an aggressive offensive player with a guard orientation. Have to see if McDowell has that same inclination.

 

[southie]

That's probably because the game at Texas occurs on the same day as the Superbowl. Knowing how Texans prioritize football, I bet it won't be as hot of a ticket as any other day of the year.

It will sell out eventually. But, I'm sure some fans will have to choose between attending Super Bowl pre-parties and the game.

Is the Texas @ South Carolina game sold out yet? Wasn't noted in that tweet above.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

It will sell out eventually. But, I'm sure some fans will have to choose between attending Super Bowl pre-parties and the game.

Is the Texas @ South Carolina game sold out yet? Wasn't noted in that tweet above.

I just checked; there are still a few general admission upper deck baseline seats. There are a few resale tickets. It will probably be the next game to sell out.

 

[GamecockFam]

I wonder if Dawn is trying to move towards positionless basketball. Any insights? I vaguely remember Coach making an off-hand comment about moving in that direction right before the freshies came on campus. I'm just getting caught up on recruiting and noticed that we seem to be targeting long-armed, athletic 6'+ wings that can shoot from anywhere on the court ... Ayla McDowell, Agot Makeer, and Kaelyn Carroll seem to be our targets. If we get all three, in a couple of years all but the PG could be 6'2" or taller. It makes me feel like coach wants to move towards a more athletic version of Oregon State from this prior year...kind of like a hybrid between Maryland and Oregon State.

 

[southie]

I wonder if Dawn is trying to move towards positionless basketball. Any insights? I vaguely remember Coach making an off-hand comment about moving in that direction right before the freshies came on campus. I'm just getting caught up on recruiting and noticed that we seem to be targeting long-armed, athletic 6'+ wings that can shoot from anywhere on the court ... Ayla McDowell, Agot Makeer, and Kaelyn Carroll seem to be our targets. If we get all three, in a couple of years all but the PG could be 6'2" or taller. It makes me feel like coach wants to move towards a more athletic version of Oregon State from this prior year...kind of like a hybrid between Maryland and Oregon State.

If ain't broke, don't fix it! When you are one of the programs who is landing true Centers, you don't have to play positionless basketball, IMO. Getting physical and athletic players who can rebound is important, and Dawn has no problem signing them.

As for Oregon State, I didn't watch too much of them last season, but they seemed to have a lot of size with Beers in the post; not sure she floated to the perimeter, but I could be wrong.

 

[visitingcock]

I wonder if Dawn is trying to move towards positionless basketball. Any insights? I vaguely remember Coach making an off-hand comment about moving in that direction right before the freshies came on campus. I'm just getting caught up on recruiting and noticed that we seem to be targeting long-armed, athletic 6'+ wings that can shoot from anywhere on the court ... Ayla McDowell, Agot Makeer, and Kaelyn Carroll seem to be our targets. If we get all three, in a couple of years all but the PG could be 6'2" or taller. It makes me feel like coach wants to move towards a more athletic version of Oregon State from this prior year...kind of like a hybrid between Maryland and Oregon State.

In a sense yes, but not really. Positional was basketball can be a good offensive theory but not so hot a defense. Dawn will never abandon the best defenses. The will always keep a big, strong paint defender and an another big but the wing is transitioning to a Wguard from Wforward.

 

[ConwayGmck]

I wonder if Dawn is trying to move towards positionless basketball. Any insights? I vaguely remember Coach making an off-hand comment about moving in that direction right before the freshies came on campus. I'm just getting caught up on recruiting and noticed that we seem to be targeting long-armed, athletic 6'+ wings that can shoot from anywhere on the court ... Ayla McDowell, Agot Makeer, and Kaelyn Carroll seem to be our targets. If we get all three, in a couple of years all but the PG could be 6'2" or taller. It makes me feel like coach wants to move towards a more athletic version of Oregon State from this prior year...kind of like a hybrid between Maryland and Oregon State.

Yes, Dawn did publicly state she was looking at moving towards positionless basketball prior to the 2018-2019 season, which was the season prior to the "Freshies" coming to Columbia:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article220265250.html

Don't know though if that is more about Dawn's philosophy she wants for her teams moving forward, or if that plays more to what match-up capabilities she feels her roster can bring to the court for any particular season. Remember that the roster in 2018-19 was post-poor and guard-strong, with 6-3 Alexis Jennings our closest thing to a "true" 5. We had Kiki Herbert-Harrigan who was more of a face-the-basketball jump-shooting 4. We had sophomores Lele Grissett - who was a career reserve who provide solid rebounding and defense in a reserve role - and LaDazhia Williams who wouldn't develop into a consistent rebounder until her final season in LSU, as well as freshman Victaria Saxton who would provide a similar reserve role as Grissett, even as a starter.

But no truly "dominant" post presence, regardless of position. I think its a question due to the team not having what is considered a dominant "big" for the first time heading into a season, since that 2018-19 season. But by dominant, that actually means a dominant big returning from the previous season that she was dominant in - I feel we actually have a good number of younger, unproven bigs on roster that by the end of this season, one or more may be regarded as having "dominant" seasons in the post.

During the 18-19 season, Jennings was the tallest on roster at 6-3, and the only "big" that was 6-3 or taller. She had dealt with substantial injuries to her legs during her career at Kentucky and USC, and was not the most athletic but was a fierce competitor and battler under the basket. This coming season, we have already seen glimpses of domination from Kitts, Watkins, and Feagen: combined they averaged 22.7 ppg, 20.0 rpg, and 3.5 bpg during the NCAAT. Watkin's eligibility is still up in the air at this point (didn't she have her court date just yesterday??), but the additions of Edwards, Tac, and Dauda should help. Dauda is more of a face-the-basket perimeter shooter similar to Kiki, but had strong rebounding and shot-blocking numbers last season for Arkansas.

Overall, it may be a post-presence-by-committee for the Gamecocks, but they certainly have the depth to come at opponents in waves and the versatility to switch up when certain players have off nights. Overall their roster includes two 6-5 players, a 6-4, three 6-3's (provided Watkins can play), and a 6-2 in Kitts, so we're actually much better in numbers and size than we were in 2018-19.......

 

[visitingcock]

Yes, Dawn did publicly state she was looking at moving towards positionless basketball prior to the 2018-2019 season, which was the season prior to the "Freshies" coming to Columbia:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article220265250.html

Don't know though if that is more about Dawn's philosophy she wants for her teams moving forward, or if that plays more to what match-up capabilities she feels her roster can bring to the court for any particular season. Remember that the roster in 2018-19 was post-poor and guard-strong, with 6-3 Alexis Jennings our closest thing to a "true" 5. We had Kiki Herbert-Harrigan who was more of a face-the-basketball jump-shooting 4. We had sophomores Lele Grissett - who was a career reserve who provide solid rebounding and defense in a reserve role - and LaDazhia Williams who wouldn't develop into a consistent rebounder until her final season in LSU, as well as freshman Victaria Saxton who would provide a similar reserve role as Grissett, even as a starter.

But no truly "dominant" post presence, regardless of position. I think its a question due to the team not having what is considered a dominant "big" for the first time heading into a season, since that 2018-19 season. But by dominant, that actually means a dominant big returning from the previous season that she was dominant in - I feel we actually have a good number of younger, unproven bigs on roster that by the end of this season, one or more may be regarded as having "dominant" seasons in the post.

During the 18-19 season, Jennings was the tallest on roster at 6-3, and the only "big" that was 6-3 or taller. She had dealt with substantial injuries to her legs during her career at Kentucky and USC, and was not the most athletic but was a fierce competitor and battler under the basket. This coming season, we have already seen glimpses of domination from Kitts, Watkins, and Feagen: combined they averaged 22.7 ppg, 20.0 rpg, and 3.5 bpg during the NCAAT. Watkin's eligibility is still up in the air at this point (didn't she have her court date just yesterday??), but the additions of Edwards, Tac, and Dauda should help. Dauda is more of a face-the-basket perimeter shooter similar to Kiki, but had strong rebounding and shot-blocking numbers last season for Arkansas.

Overall, it may be a post-presence-by-committee for the Gamecocks, but they certainly have the depth to come at opponents in waves and the versatility to switch up when certain players have off nights. Overall their roster includes two 6-5 players, a 6-4, three 6-3's (provided Watkins can play), and a 6-2 in Kitts, so we're actually much better in numbers and size than we were in 2018-19.......

Watkins did not appear yesterday in court ( her lawyer did). This means no dismissal and no early minor misdemeanor plea. Doubtful she goes back to court before January,

I’m not counting on her this year,

 

[Baller29]

Watkins did not appear yesterday in court ( her lawyer did). This means no dismissal and no early minor misdemeanor plea. Doubtful she goes back to court before January,

I’m not counting on her this year,

Unfortunate but I guess it means it’s Joyce’s time to shine.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[Zanzman]

Was Staley #5 ?

 

[WBBTakeover]

Was Staley #5 ?

Yes