Ashlyn Watkins is an American college basketball player for the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[1]

Ashlyn Watkins
Watkins with South Carolina in 2022
No. 2 – South Carolina Gamecocks
PositionForward
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
BornOctober 20, 2003; 20 years ago (2003-10-20)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Career information
High schoolCardinal Newman
(Columbia, South Carolina)
CollegeSouth Carolina (2022–present)
Career highlights and awards

High school career

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Watkins attended Cardinal Newman High School in Columbia, South Carolina, where she led the basketball team to four straight SCISA class 3A state titles. She was named a McDonald's All-American and the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022.[2][3] Watkins won the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest.[4]

Watkins started dunking in middle school while attending Cardinal Newman.[4]

College career

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In March 2022, Watkins won the Powerade JamFest dunk contest.[5]

On November 17, 2022, Watkins stole the ball in the closing seconds of No. 1 South Carolina's 85–31 road win against Clemson. Once in possession of the ball, Watkins dribbled the ball to the basket and slammed it, the first dunk in South Carolina women's basketball history.[6][7][4]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2022–23 South Carolina 32 0 10.7 56.3 33.3 46.9 3.1 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.9 4.9
2023–24 South Carolina 38 9 20.6 55.0 0.0 55.6 7.4 1.1 1.3 2.4 1.5 9.2
Career 70 9 16.0 55.4 25.0 52.7 5.4 0.8 1.0 1.7 1.2 7.3
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[8]

2024 assault incident

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On the morning of August 31, 2024, Watkins was arrested on an assault charge.[9][10] As Watkins allegedly also prevented her victim from leaving after an argument, an additional kidnapping charge was added.[9][10] That afternoon, Watkins was released after posting a $30,000 bond.[9] In addition to being barred from having direct or indirect contact with the victim, Watkins also cannot return to the school, with a bond condition requiring her to stay 1,000 yards away from the victim’s home, work, school and place of worship.[10] However, Watkins does have permission to travel out of state for games and practice.[10] A South Carolina spokesperson stated that "We are aware of the situation and are continuing to gather information."[11] Watkins has not commented on the arrest or allegations.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Cooper, Watkins bring 'something truly special' to Gamecocks". TheBigSpur. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  2. ^ "Ashlyn Watkins 2021 - 2022 SOUTH CAROLINA GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". playeroftheyear.gatorade.com. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  3. ^ "Ashlyn Watkins receives McDonald's All American jersey". wltx.com. March 10, 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  4. ^ a b c Holloway, Jeremiah. "Did you see that? South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins dunks in WBB win over Clemson".
  5. ^ Hruby, Emma (2022-03-29). "South Carolina commit wins McDonald's All-American dunk contest". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  6. ^ Feinberg, Doug. "Playing above the rim more common in women's college hoops". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  7. ^ "Ashlyn Watkins records first dunk in program history as Gamecocks crush Clemson". WACH. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  8. ^ "Ashlyn Watkins College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Buchanan, Christopher (August 31, 2024). "South Carolina basketball star Ashlyn Watkins charged with assault and kidnapping". WTLX. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Hemphill, Joshua; Tran-Ozuna, Tiffany (August 31, 2024). "Gamecocks women's basketball star Ashlyn Watkins charged with assault and kidnapping". WIS. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Schutte, Dustin (September 1, 2024). "South Carolina Women's Basketball Player Arrested on Assault, Kidnapping Charges". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
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