Ashlyn Watkins officially returns to South Carolina WBB
South Carolina ahead Ashlyn Watkins (2) is again with the Gamecocks
tglantz@thestate.com
Ashlyn Watkins has returned to the South Carolina women’s basketball team, the program announced on social media Tuesday night.
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Watkins took the last year off from basketball. She will return for her senior year in the 2026-27 season.
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“I’m excited to be back for my senior year. I’m ready to get back to work. Go Gamecocks,” Watkins said in a video posted by USC.
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Watkins did not play in the 2025-26 season. She announced in July 2025 she planned to take a year off from basketball following a “roller coaster” of a year.
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She missed the beginning of the 2024-25 season due to a suspension after an August arrest (though all charges were eventually dismissed) and then played in 14 games before tearing her ACL in January 2025.
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Watkins was not enrolled at USC during the 2025-26 season but was still rehabbing from her ACL injury with the team. Dawn Staley in Febuary confirmed Watkins would return to the program in May.
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At her best, Watkins is an All-SEC player who brings a dominant presence on both ends of the floor for South Carolina. Before her injury in the 2024-25 season, Watkins averaged 7.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. During her sophomore year, Watkins was an All-SEC selection and averaged 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
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Tuesday’s announcement means South Carolina is officially up to 15 players on the roster for the 2026-27 season.
Michael Sauls is The State’s South Carolina girls’s basketball reporter. He beforehand labored at The Virginian-Pilot masking Norfolk State and Hampton University sports activities. A Columbia native, he’s an alum of the University of South Carolina.
