COLUMBIA — A year removed from a championship season, the South Carolina Gamecocks find themselves in yet another Sweet 16 under coach Dawn Staley.
As they make their run to repeat, USC commit Agot Makeer will be keeping tabs on her future team.
On March 1, the No. 4 overall recruit in the country made her long-awaited commitment to the Gamecocks. Makeer joined Ayla McDowell as a part of USC’s 2025 recruiting class.
“My recruiting was kind of overwhelming to me, and (Staley) just made it so comfortable,” Makeer said. “When I took my visit (to USC), she put a lot of effort into it, and that stuck out a lot.”
During her recruiting journey, schools all over the country made their pitch to the five-star guard. It was the championship culture of South Carolina that influenced Makeer, which is a testament of how far Staley has taken the program.
Madness influence
Under Staley, USC has won three national titles, made six Final Fours and 11 straight Sweet 16s. Fans know that the Gamecocks are a championship contender every year, and Makeer is excited to be a part of March Madness.
“I think it’s super-exciting, that’s something I’ve dreamed of as a little kid,” Makeer said. “Watching it makes me even more excited.”
The high school senior will be ready for March Madness because she has faced plenty of powerhouse competition. In Canada, she played at Crestwood, which is the standard of Canadian basketball. Now, she preps at Montverde Academy in Florida, which is widely regarded as the best women’s program in the country.
South Carolina’s first two NCAA Tournament games were in Colonial Life Arena. In the opening round, the Gamecocks plucked Tennessee Tech by 60 points. The next game presented more of a challenge from ninth-seeded Indiana, but Staley’s team pulled away for the 64-53 victory.
The path to back-to-back titles only gets tougher as they travel to Birmingham for the Sweet 16, but Makeer will make sure to show her support.
“I’ll be watching every game, like I text the coaches before each game to tell them good luck,” Makeer said. “Then I’ll talk to Ayla about the games, so I’ll definitely be watching.”
During her recruitment, Makeer has been in touch with her future teammates. Players have given her advice and expressed their excitement to play with the incoming guard.
“Tessa Johnson, I have talked to her,” Makeer said. “We mostly comment on each other’s Instagram posts.”
Touchdown in Columbia
Makeer will receive her garnet jersey in the fall, and in return she will bring flexibility to play anywhere on the court.
That’s a good trade-off for Staley.
Agot Makeer
Agot Makeer represented Canada last year at the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
The combo guard from Toronto represented Canada in the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Mexico last year, and her dominance was hard to miss. She averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game. She led Canada to the final, but her team fell to the United States.
When Makeer arrives on campus, she knows what she will bring to her team.
“I’d say energy, just having that right away, and just being able to play like me,” Makeer said.
Gamecock Nation can’t wait to see what Makeer will bring to the team come the fall semester. When asked, she had a quick statement on how fans should feel about her arrival.
