“We dominate. That’s what we do.” That’s how Dawn Staley’s star Ashlyn Watkins announced their powerhouse. For years now, South Carolina has been producing impeccable women’s basketball players. And while there are many firsts for these standouts, Watkins created a new Gamecocks record for dunking. That too as a freshman. Since then, the stellar athlete has been a significant part of Staley’s roster. Hence, with the 2024-25 season of the NCAA DI tournaments starting soon, let us walk through the journey of this 21-year-old collegiate basketball star.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Ashlyn Watkins has been the rage of the town since her high school days. She attended the local Cardinal Newman High School and divided her interests into volleyball and basketball.

She led the Cardinal Newman’s volleyball team to the 2020 state title and a runner-up finish the following year. In basketball, Watkins was responsible for leading her team to SCISA class 3A state titles four years in a row. In the class of 2022, Watkins was the fourth-ranked post player and 12th overall. The same year, she also won the McDonald’s All-American, while taking the crown as the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.

Standing at 6-ft-3, Ashlyn Watkins started dunking in her high school. She won the McDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest and the Powerade JamFest dunk contest to ink her name in the record. As a senior, the young star averaged 20.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, showing her dominance on both ends of the floor.

She chose South Carolina Gamecocks after wrapping up her high school career on an impressive note. She is their all-time leading scorer (1,740 points) and rebounder (1,341 boards.) Watkins also has 366 blocks in the record book. Entering USC, her

A peek into how Ashlyn Watkins has impacted the Gamecocks

Dawn Staley brought in the high school star to her home for the 2022-23 season. As anticipated, it wasn’t long before Watkins brought about her magical moves. The player made her debut on November 8, 2022, against East Tennessee State, posting 11 points and 8 rebounds.

The aggressive and efficient forward averaged 4.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 10.6 minutes per game for her first season. She also helped USC to program record 36 wins. This included a 16-0 perfect record in the SEC. The Gamecocks swept the SEC Tournament title in 2022 with the aid of the Columbia star and made a trip to the Final Four for the third straight year.

Next year, she was one of the most important players for Staley in their perfect tourney run that ended with them winning the NCAA DI championship. In her sophomore year, Watkins averaged 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks. Although she came from the bench rotation to lift the squad, in Kamilla Cardoso’s absence, the coach relied on her. As a result, she started 10 of 38 games that the Gamecocks played and won in the 2023-24 season.

Certainly, she has made a name for herself in Columbia, South Carolina, as a player to keep an eye out for. Without Kamilla Cardoso, the Brazilian big for the Chicago Sky, she is expected to have a few more minutes to shine. It will be quite a year for South Carolina as they try to match their perfect season run from last year.