South Carolina women's basketball: How to watch Ayla McDowell and Agot Makeer at the FIBA U19 World Cup

Two South Carolina Gamecocks players, Ayla McDowell and Agot Makeer, are set to compete in the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup beginning Saturday in Brno, Czechia. McDowell traveled directly to Czechia after winning a silver medal with Brazil's senior national team at the AmeriCup tournament in Chile. Despite being one of the youngest players at the senior AmeriCup, McDowell played sparingly, averaging 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in four games. She is expected to play a larger role at the U19 World Cup, building on her breakout performance at the 2023 U18 AmeriCup where she averaged 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Agot Makeer, representing Canada, also made her mark at the 2023 U18 AmeriCup, earning a spot on the All-Star Five with averages of 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 4.0 steals, though she was not part of Canada's senior AmeriCup team. Canada is placed in Group B for the U19 World Cup alongside Nigeria, Portugal, and China. Brazil, featuring McDowell, is in Group C with Australia and France, after Mali withdrew due to visa issues. The United States is in Group A with Israel, Hungary, and Korea, while Group D consists of Spain, Czechia, Japan, and Argentina.

For the knockout rounds, Groups A and B are paired, and Groups C and D are paired, meaning Canada and Brazil could only potentially meet in the medal round. The Team USA roster does not include any current Gamecocks players, though South Carolina is recruiting potential future players Saniyah Hall, Kate Harpring, and Sydney Douglas. In the 2023 tournament, then-future Gamecocks Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards played for Team USA; Edwards was named to the All-Star Five.