What Ashlyn Watkins' return after year away means for Dawn Staley besides dunks

COLUMBIA — Ashlyn Watkins misses the thrill.

It's been 81 weeks since she heard the crowd roar while wearing a South Carolina women's basketball uniform.

The 6-foot-3 forward returns for her senior season under coach Dawn Staley after having not played since early 2025.

"I miss basketball. Yes, I was playing it while I was gone but I miss my team, that drive it gave me, the thrill it gave me being on the court, watching everybody come and watch you," Watkins said in a video posted by South Carolina athletics. "It's a different type of feeling that you can't really experience anywhere else."

Ashlyn Watkins' timeline at South Carolina for Dawn Staley

The 2024-25 season featured a lot less Watkins than Staley originally intended, coming off a sophomore year where she averaged 20.6 minutes, 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. The Gamecocks lost 6-7 rim protector Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA, which meant Watkins was on pace for an even bigger junior year with a hole to fill in the starting lineup.

In late August 2024, Watkins was arrested on charges of first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping. Her suspension lasted for most of preseason, but she was reinstated by the second game of her junior season after the charges were dropped.

She worked her way into the lineup, scoring 11 points with 11 rebounds in the SEC opener. Then right when it felt like Watkins was officially back, she tore her ACL early in the second quarter vs Mississippi State on Jan. 5, 2025.

By April her teammates were in the same spot they were a year prior but after playing 14 critical minutes in the national championship win vs Iowa, Watkins watched her teammates lose to UConn from the sideline.

Grappling with the title-game loss, many South Carolina fans believed getting Watkins back would be the difference-maker. But she announced in July 2025 that she would take a year off from school and basketball. She cited her reasoning as focusing on herself so she "can grow as an individual and attempt to master this journey of life."

Watkins officially re-joined the team in June. While Staley's system and expectations don't necessarily change year to year, only five of Watkins' former teammates are left on the 2026-27 roster.

However, if Watkins plays like her early days in Columbia, the Gamecocks are in good shape.

What does Ashlyn Watkins bring to South Carolina?

It's easy to think of dunking when hearing Watkins name, as she was the first of Staley's players to dunk in a game. That trend has only grown since, as the Gamecocks now have four players who have dunked on video in either a game or practice.

But Watkins gives Staley way more than a highlight-reel dunk. Her fundamentals fuel the Gamecocks on both ends and her energy changes the tone of games drastically.

In 2023-24 she was third on the team in steals per game with 1.3, second in blocks with 2.4 and rebounds with 7.4.

In her limited action the following year, South Carolina's opponents' turnover percentage increased from 18.9% to 23.7% with her on the court while its own turnovers decreased from 15% to 13.1% with Watkins playing.

Watkins averaged 2.3 offensive rebounds across 14 games, and 2.8 per game the year prior. The Gamecocks' percentage of offensive rebounds increased by 5.2% in 2024-25 with her on the court.

In Watkins' absence, 6-foot-6 center Madina Okot led the team in rebounds with 10.6 last season, but with Okot now in the WNBA, Watkins' return is timely.

Watkins' offense is more quality than quantity. Her career-high (set in 2024) is 21 points but her career average is 7.3, as she's scored in double-digits in only 30 of her 84 games. She's efficient as she shot 64.1% at the rim, 50% from mid-range and 43% in the paint as a sophomore. She improved to 68.9% at the rim last year before her injury.

If Staley starts Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards, Watkins could be the first post off the bench. Like Edwards, Watkins thrives in that traditional four or five spot, which means she might anchor a lineup with taller guards and post players around her.

South Carolina has options in the frontcourt, but the hustle plays, the extra passes, the high-level effort on every rebound, that's what Staley gets with Watkins on the floor

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at  [email protected] . Follow her on X @Lulukesin and Bluesky ‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Ashlyn Watkins' return after year away means for Dawn Staley besides dunks

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