Women's basketball forward Ashlyn Watkins sees growth, increased playing time in 2nd collegiate season

The South Carolina women’s basketball team has jumped out to a 23-0 start to the season, and it has relied heavily on unproven talent to reach that mark.

After the 2022-23 season, four of the five Gamecock starters were drafted to the WNBA, which has carved out larger roles this year for players such as senior center Kamilla Cardoso, sophomore guard Raven Johnson and sophomore forward Chloe Kitts.

Each of these players has stepped up to fill those shoes, but some of them have unexpectedly missed a few games. Now, other South Carolina players have had to step up in their absence — one being sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins.

Watkins has emerged as a future star for the Gamecocks in her teammates' absences, helping her hometown team and contributing to its recent run of success with her improved scoring ability, rebounding tenacity and defensive prowess.

Watkins hails from Columbia, South Carolina, where she played four years of varsity basketball at Cardinal Newman High School. There she helped lead its women's basketball team to four consecutive 3A state championships and became the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. As a senior, she was named a McDonald's All-American and South Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year.

Watkins was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school and was ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the country.  She had offers from many high-profile programs, such as Kentucky, North Carolina, LSU and Louisville, but she ultimately signed with South Carolina during her senior year.

Watkins had limited playing time during her freshman season in 2022, only averaging just about 10 minutes per game. But that didn't stop her from producing highlight-reel plays, including the first dunk in program history against Clemson in November 2022.

Her playing time has since doubled, and she has showcased her offensive and defensive capabilities multiple times this season. She recorded her fifth double-double of the season on Feb. 4 against Ole Miss, recording 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with one steal and one block.

"I feel like I've grown, I feel like I've been more disciplined, I would say, like on defense and offense," Watkins said.

Watkins is averaging 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as of Feb. 11. Head coach Dawn Staley said Watkins still can improve even further on offense, however.

"We want her to score. There's no question that she rebounds the basketball. She defends like no other. I think the one element that's missing in her game is just consistently scoring," Staley said. "We are being very calculating in giving her the ball and see what she does with it. She's got to familiarize herself with spots on the floor where she can be effective offensively, and that takes experience."

Watkins said she has also seen herself make strides in improving on the defensive side of the ball.  She is currently in a three-way tie for eighth amongst all NCAA Division I women's players in blocks per game and has contributed an additional 1.1 steals per game to a South Carolina defense that ranks top-10 in the country and No. 1 in the SEC in points allowed per game.

During South Carolina's game against Kentucky on Jan. 15, Watkins put up 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, showing off her versatility as a player. She also electrified the crowd with a dunk on a fast break. 

"It meant a lot to me, especially doing it here in Columbia," Watkins said. "Doing it for my family and my friends, everybody that came to support me at this game." 

Freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, a fellow Columbia native and friend of Watkins since elementary school, praised her after their win against Ole Miss on Feb. 4 for her accomplishments this season.

"It's crazy just seeing her go out there and do that. I mean I knew she was capable of it, so when coach told her she had a start, I feel like we all knew that she was going to go out there and do what she does best," Fulwiley said. "I feel like she's brave. She's not scared of anything, so when I know that she's going on the court, I just know she's going to do the right thing."

Staley said Watkins' recent success could warrant an increase in playing time as the season progresses, even with Cardoso's return to the team this week.

"I'm super proud of her because she wasn't a starter, and I know she wanted to start. And it bothered her to a point of actually showing me what we're missing out on with her not starting. And I don't want to start any friction, but we have to have Ashlyn on the floor," Staley said. "She's grown from Kamilla's absence."  

Watkins and the Gamecocks will head to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.