South Carolina’s not dipping its toes in the water—they’re cannonballing straight into this new era. Seriously, Dawn Staley’s got two freshmen—Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell—who might just be the shooters that keep her dynasty rolling in 2025-26. And you know Staley, she doesn’t baby rookies. She throws ‘em in the deep end and expects them to swim. Both these 6-1 guards? Already blending in with a squad that expects Final Fours like it’s just another Tuesday. Early preseason, you could hear that squeak-pop of their shots and, man, when the ball snaps through the net? The bench goes nuts. No rim, no drama—just buckets.
Why Staley needs them, like, yesterday
South Carolina’s perimeter game got a shakeup this spring. They snagged Ta’Niya Latson out of the portal (girl can flat-out score, led the nation in ‘23), and she’s that downhill guard who puts defenders on skates. But here’s the flip side—they lost two of their best shooters in Te-Hina Paopao and Bree Hall. So, yeah, there’s real estate up for grabs on the arc, and Staley’s not the type to block newcomers from staking a claim. She’s all about that “prove it” life.
Inside? Last year’s champs just bullied people—points in the paint, finishing at the rim, all that. But honestly, the midrange and three-point stuff? Still room to grow. Now, you throw in Makeer and McDowell, who aren’t shy about letting it fly, and suddenly Latson’s drives, Raven Johnson’s paint touches, and those post feeds to Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards get way harder to guard. Weakside help? Good luck. Late closeouts? Total disaster.
Two rookies, one giant green light
Staley doesn’t coddle her freshmen. She’s tossing them real minutes and telling them to keep up or get left behind. The past couple years, her first-years were seeing 16-18 minutes a night, and the ones who figured it out? They got even more. No reason Makeer and McDowell can’t do the same, especially with their size and quick triggers.
- Catch-and-shoot gravity: Both can space to NBA-range corners and lift to the slot. Simple reads, big rewards.
- Cut-and-spray offense: Defenses cheat on Latson or double the post? Kickouts to Makeer or McDowell, no hesitation.
- Defensive length: 6-1, long arms, active hands—they’ll earn minutes just by causing chaos, even if the shots aren’t dropping.
Agot Makeer: smooth, calm, and straight business
Agot Makeer rolls in with that blue-chip swagger and a jumper that just hushes a gym. She did her thing at Montverde (shoutout Florida) but hails from Ontario, and her shot? Fluid as heck, works off the bounce, and she can thread a pass if the defense tilts. ESPN’s got her near the top of the class, and you get why—she’s a do-everything wing who’s just gotten better from deep lately.
But she’s no one-trick pony. Makeer can take a bump, finish through contact, skip it to the open shooter, and she can defend with those Inspector Gadget arms. Staley loves two-way freshmen (just look at MiLaysia Fulwiley or Joyce Edwards last year), and Makeer’s got that same vibe. Plus, she’s got that unbothered energy—moves like she’s done this a thousand times before.
Ayla McDowell: Houston-made, fearless, and flashy
Ayla McDowell? She’s got the Texas toolkit—bouncy, creative, and not afraid of the moment. At Cypress Springs, she was dropping 25 a night, nearly double-digit rebounds, and racking up steals. Oh, and McDonald’s All-American? Yeah, she’s got the receipts.
She loves to slash and attack, but her jumper’s real—one-dribble pull-ups, corner threes, all that. She’s got these little hang-time tricks that make defenders look silly. In South Carolina’s drive-and-kick flow, her quick trigger on the catch is perfect. If she draws a second defender? Ball swings, scoreboard lights up. Easy.
Why there’s room for them to shine
Frontcourt’s beefed up too—Staley added Madina Okot (6-6, coming over from Mississippi State). More rim pressure, tougher screens, better rebounding. Combine that with Latson’s speed and you’ve got an offense that forces defenses to collapse, leaving shooters like Makeer and McDowell wide open. That’s their lane.
Honestly, South Carolina hasn’t missed a Final Four since 2019. Most of this team’s already played under the biggest, blinding lights college hoops has. So the bar’s sky-high: less talking, more doing, and if you’re a freshman? Better be ready to roll.
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