81 Weeks Later: Ashlyn Watkins’ Long Road Back to Columbia / sportsearchers.com

For Ashlyn Watkins, returning to South Carolina isn’t just about reclaiming a roster spot — it’s about reconnecting with something she says can’t be replicated anywhere else. After 81 weeks away from competitive action with the Gamecocks, the senior forward is finally set to rejoin Dawn Staley’s program, and her own words make clear just how much that absence weighed on her.

A feeling she couldn’t find elsewhere

Watkins didn’t hold back describing what she missed most during her time away. “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 shared by South Carolina Athletics. “It’s a different type of feeling that you can’t really experience anywhere else.” That distinction matters — she wasn’t simply away from the sport entirely, but away from this specific team and environment, suggesting her connection to South Carolina’s program and fanbase runs deeper than basketball itself.

A promising trajectory interrupted almost immediately

Watkins’ path back required navigating a genuinely difficult stretch. She entered the 2024-25 season projected to take on a larger frontcourt role following Kamilla Cardoso’s departure to the WNBA, building off a sophomore year in which she averaged 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and more than 20 minutes a game — numbers that positioned her as a natural next leader in the post.

Instead, her season derailed before it started. She was arrested in August 2024 on first-degree assault, battery and kidnapping charges, leading to a preseason suspension. Once those charges were dropped, she returned to the team and made her season debut in South Carolina’s second game of the year.

Finding her footing, then losing it again

Watkins showed real signs of settling back into form, delivering an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in South Carolina’s SEC opener. That momentum didn’t last — she tore her ACL during the first half of a game against Mississippi State on January 5, 2025, ending her season entirely. She was left watching from the sideline as South Carolina advanced all the way to the national championship game, ultimately falling to UConn without her available to help.

Stepping away to focus on herself

Rather than rushing back, Watkins made the decision months later to step away from both basketball and school entirely for a year, citing a need to focus on personal growth away from the sport. That choice reflects a level of self-awareness worth noting — prioritizing long-term wellbeing over an immediate return, even with eligibility and basketball opportunities on the line. She officially rejoined the program this past June, walking into a roster that looks dramatically different from the one she left, with only five former teammates still around.

An impact that goes beyond the highlight reel

Watkins is often remembered for a specific milestone — becoming the first player under Dawn Staley to dunk in a game — but reducing her value to that moment undersells her actual on-court impact. Her combination of athleticism, defensive awareness and nonstop energy has consistently elevated South Carolina’s overall performance whenever she’s on the floor.

During the 2023-24 season, she ranked among the team’s top statistical contributors, posting 1.3 steals, 2.4 blocks and 7.4 rebounds per game — a genuinely rare blend of rim protection and perimeter disruption for a single player. Her impact extended into more advanced, less visible metrics as well: during her shortened junior season, opponents turned the ball over at a noticeably higher rate whenever she played, while South Carolina’s own ball security improved in those same minutes. She also consistently generated extra scoring chances through aggressive offensive rebounding, adding another dimension to her value beyond her own individual stat line.

Filling a real need up front

Her return arrives at a particularly useful moment for South Carolina’s roster construction. With Madina Okot — last season’s team leader in rebounding — now off to begin her WNBA career, Watkins provides an experienced, physical presence in the frontcourt that the Gamecocks would otherwise be searching to replace. Offensively, she’s never been the kind of high-volume scorer opposing defenses have to game-plan around, but her efficiency has been remarkably consistent throughout her career — she’s scored in double figures 30 times across 84 career games, typically converting at a strong rate around the basket, with her efficiency trending upward even before the ACL injury interrupted her season.

A versatile fit regardless of role

Whether Staley opts to start Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards up front or brings Watkins off the bench as the first post player available, her positional flexibility across both power forward and center gives the coaching staff real optionality. And regardless of whether she’s starting or coming off the bench, her most valuable contributions have often been the ones that don’t show up prominently in a box score — hustle plays, timely rebounds, rim protection, smart passing decisions, and the relentless effort that has become a defining trait of South Carolina basketball under Staley.

The next chapter

After a stretch defined by legal trouble, a season-ending injury, and a deliberate step back for personal reasons, Watkins now gets the chance to author a new chapter in her Gamecock career. Her return gives South Carolina an experienced voice and a proven contributor as the program continues chasing another national championship — and for Watkins herself, a genuine second opportunity to finish her college career on her own terms.