Coach Dawn Staley had recently challenged Ashlyn Watkins to step it up, and the way she delivered brought all the spotlight on her. No one, not even Staley, could’ve predicted that Ashlyn would pull out her special move against TCU Horned Frogs. We already know that women’s basketball has far fewer dunks than its male counterpart, but if this new generation has anything to say about it, they’re flipping the notion one slam at a time.

Late in the first quarter against TCU, Watkins brought the house down. After Sedona Prince, the nation’s top shot-blocker, rejected Watkins’ layup attempt, the junior hustled back, stole the ball from Madison Conner, and sprinted down the court. Prince did chase, but Watkins, bagged it with her right hand. 

That’s three dunks in three seasons for the 6-foot-3 junior forward. Her first came as a freshman against Clemson, and last year, she threw it down at home against Kentucky. Watkins arrived at South Carolina with a reputation for her dunks, even winning the dunk contest at the McDonald’s All-American competition.

But this one has to be the best one. A Packed Dickies Arena, just 3.5 miles from TCU’s campus, erupted like never before. With a capacity of 14,000 fans, the energy was unreal. As Coach Staley put it in the postgame conference, “The place exploded, our bench exploded. And I think it’s great for our game.” 

She shared that Ashlyn’s been practicing dunks for the past couple of practices. “She was even at shootaround today, dunking and missing. Then she makes a play like that. She cleared her runway, got to the left side of the floor, and I knew she was going to attempt it,” the head coach added.

It was a moment for the books, and as the HC said, “Prince was kind of closely behind her, so I didn’t think she was going to do it. But then she did.” And just like that, Watkins proved once again that she’s here to redefine expectations. It’s especially sweet because this dunk came after Coach Staley had challenged the hooper to step up.

Coach Staley challenged Ashlyn Watkins to elevate her game

Back in November, after South Carolina’s dominant win over East Carolina, Coach Dawn Staley didn’t let her team sit too comfortably with the big victory. She made it clear that there was still work to be done—especially from Ashlyn Watkins. During the post-game press conference, Coach Staley was asked about her team’s depth, with every player contributing to the score. 

While she acknowledged the balanced effort, she didn’t let it slide without emphasizing that she needed more from certain players, Watkins included. “We need more from Ash,” she said. We all know Ashlyn has not been putting up great numbers, but moments like these show just how high Coach Staley’s expectations are for her. 

The junior has the potential to be a major force for the Gamecocks. And honestly, if she can bring that extra intensity, her impact could be game-changing. Along with her dunks, she needs to score consistently. And who knows? We might just see her more on the court after this game.