COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sitting inside the South Carolina women's basketball film room, Ayla McDowell knew something was wrong.
The 6-foot-1 freshman guard was making her first career start in a game against Mississippi State in early February of 2026, and she was trying to focus on the scouting report. But as she sat at one end of the room trying to listen to coach Dawn Staley seated at the other end, McDowell realized she couldn't hear or understand her coach.
Staring at Staley's lips, McDowell tried to make out what she was saying in the film session. But McDowell grew annoyed and exhausted.
Since birth, McDowell has suffered from mild sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. At the age of 8, she underwent hearing tests and was fitted for a hearing aid for her left ear. But after a short period of time, McDowell chose not to wear her hearing aid and relied solely on reading lips when she couldn't fully hear.
She knew that there would come a time when her hearing loss would progress from mild to moderate. For years, she relied on reading lips and physical cues to make up for the moments she couldn't hear. But during her freshman season at South Carolina, McDowell realized her hearing loss had become worse.
"I think I need hearing aids," McDowell said. "I'm tired of looking at people. I have to look at people when they talk, but I'm tired of having to do that and like force myself to do that ... and it created challenges when it came to response times on the court. And just being able to hear what's going on around me. If I wasn't looking at someone, I couldn't hear them if they were behind me."
For the first few months of the season, McDowell adapted her game to manage her hearing loss, just as she'd done as a McDonald's All American and nationally ranked player in high school. From reading Staley's lips to putting in extra work to anticipate the movements of her teammates, McDowell tried to disguise her hearing impairment.
But her inability to hear clearly became more noticeable over time.
"Her teammates would come to me and just say they're trying to get to her, but she doesn't hear me," Staley, who knew of McDowell's hearing impairment since her official visit in 2024 but did not disclose it to her players, told ESPN.
Throughout McDowell's first season, Staley would check in with her about her hearing loss and ask her if she wanted to try hearing aids. Each time, McDowell would tell Staley she wasn't ready yet.
"I wanted her to excel at basketball because she loves it so much," Staley said about why she felt strongly about encouraging McDowell to get her hearing retested and wear hearing aids. "I know to hold on to something, it's exhausting. It really is. It's part of you. And when you're able to liberate yourself and free yourself of having one less thing that you need to worry about somebody finding out, I think it's a great thing."
Despite playing in 36 games, including 15 SEC games and 15 of the team's 19 games against ranked opponents, McDowell's response times on the court and interactions with teammates made Staley broach the topic in person with McDowell's mother, Gaby, and encourage McDowell to have her hearing retested and get fitted for hearing aids.
One month after the 2025-26 season ended, McDowell took Staley's advice and went to her doctor. She learned her hearing loss had become worse and received her first set of hearing aids.
"Coach Staley encouraged me to get the hearing aids, and I'm thankful for her because during the season she said I should try the hearing aids out, see how I feel, things like that," McDowell said. "Just kind of encouraging me to hear better. And she never stopped encouraging me. And then she noticed when things got worse and she continued to encourage me and help me take action."
In June, the Gamecocks traveled from Columbia to Atlanta to attend an Atlanta Dream vs. Indiana Fever game at State Farm Arena. During the three-hour bus ride, McDowell decided that she would share with her teammates the secret she'd been keeping all season long.
"I suffer from moderate hearing loss," McDowell told her teammates. "And I am going to wear hearing aids in both of my ears this season. If they fall out, don't step on them. If y'all see them, don't mind."
McDowell felt an immediate sigh of relief. Her teammates met her relief with support and love. "We'll definitely help you out" and "We got you" floated around the bus.
For the first time in her basketball career, the college sophomore would be playing with hearing aids. She knew there would be an adjustment period, but she also knew she wouldn't have to compensate on the court or ask her teammates and coaches to repeat words.
As McDowell enters her sophomore season with the Gamecocks, she told ESPN: "I think I'm just going to be more confident in doing things, being able to read and react, hear and react, honestly. Just hear my teammates. Hear my coaches. Those are some things that I'm just preparing myself and excited to see for myself."
Staley has already noticed the differences in McDowell's game during preseason.
"She's improved already," Staley said. "She's been consistent with probably being one of the hardest workers on the floor. I think you'll see her make more shots [this season]. I think you'll see her just feel more confident out there on the floor. And I do feel like because she's going to wear her hearing aids that she's going to feel a lot more connected to the team."
