‘There won’t be another Ashlyn Watkins on the team,’ former Gamecock says of new signee
Ashlyn Watkins is a dominant force in the low post. South Carolina’s latest signee from nearby Cardinal Newman High in Columbia is 6-foot-3, agile and dunks with pure power.
Off the court, Watkins’ high school coach Asia Dozier — a former Gamecock who played under USC head coach Dawn Staley from 2012-16 — says Watkins is a soft-spoken high school senior who leads by example.
“My challenge to her is to kind of be a lot more vocal,” Dozier said. “But just because she’s not outgoing doesn’t mean that there’s not a lot of layers to her.”
Watkins, the No. 12 overall prospect in the class of 2022 according to espnW, was deemed a “coveted post prospect in the class of 2022” by women’s basketball scout Dan Olson. Olson also wrote that Watkins’ “emerging offensive arsenal with face-up game (is) complemented by back-to-the-basket skills.”
The Gamecocks’ latest signee enters her senior season at Cardinal Newman High School seeking her fourth-consecutive state championship, averaging 15.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in her high school career.
Choosing to attend college at South Carolina over runner-up North Carolina, Watkins said her commitment day meant “a whole new life” was about to begin.
“I want to be able to be a big part in (South Carolina) winning,” Watkins said. “Hopefully getting championships. I just want to be a big help to them.”
Watkins grew up attending South Carolina women’s basketball games just 12 miles from her high school. She said she’s looking forward to playing for Staley, a coach with a bevy of experience who can lead her in the right direction.
“(Staley) told me that I had to work for my spot,” Watkins said. “And I like that she said that because that makes me work harder. That’s gonna make me get better.”
Watkins said she’s looking forward to learning from All-American forward Aliyah Boston next season, as the five-star joins a loaded South Carolina team that recruited the nation’s No. 1 class in 2021.
“We have known about Ashlyn since she was in the sixth grade, and it’s hard to believe the time has come,” Staley said in a release. “We are excited for our FAMS to see what this young woman is capable of. Her impact should be immediate on both sides of the ball.”
Though Watkins will join a stacked roster in Columbia, Dozier wanted to make it clear that nobody on the team will bring the kind of “sneaky” explosiveness Watkins has, specifically in shot timing and blocking.
“I want to go on record and say that there won’t be another Ashlyn Watkins on the team with her,” Dozier said. “I can honestly say, in all my time playing or coaching, I’ve never played against, with or coached anybody else that has her athleticism.”
Watkins will travel just 12 miles from her high school court at Cardinal Newman to play for Staley’s Gamecocks. Watkins’ mother, Harriet Watkins, said playing for nearby USC had been an option for a while, as Staley was one of the first coaches to offer her daughter a scholarship.
“It’s very exciting for us because we are a very close-knit family,” Harriet Watkins said. “The fact that we can just ride 20 minutes down the road to see a game, that’s awesome.”
Ashlyn Watkins is the second signee to South Carolina’s 2022 class, joining fellow in-state star Talaysia Cooper from Turbeville’s East Clarendon High School.
