How to watch two future Gamecocks play today in 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game
While the South Carolina women’s basketball team gets ready for another Final Four appearance, two of its future stars are ready to cap off their high school careers.
Cardinal Newman’s Ashlyn Watkins and East Clarendon’s Talaysia Cooper will be playing in the McDonald’s All-American girls game Tuesday night in Chicago. The two S.C. natives signed with the Gamecocks in November.
“I have gotten to know her more over the past month, really,” Watkins said of Cooper during Monday’s McDonald’s All-American Game Media Day. “We have become close, kind of. But next year, I am really looking forward to playing with her. She is a really good person and also a really good player, so I am looking forward to playing with her.”
Watkins made a big splash already this week in Chicago by becoming the third woman to win the slam dunk contest.
Cooper and Watkins were cornerstones of their high school programs during their career. Cooper was the 2021 S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year and went over 3,000 points earlier this season after starting on varsity for six seasons. She led East Clarendon to a state championship back in 2019.
Watkins was a five-year varsity starter for Cardinal Newman and led the school to four straight SCISA Class 3A championships to close out her career. The 6-foot-3 post player is the school’s all-time leader in scoring (1,740 points) and rebounds (1,341) to go along with 366 blocked shots. Cardinal Newman made it to the state championship game in each of her five years at the school, winning the last four titles.
Cooper and Watkins weren’t able to watch the Gamecocks’ regional championship game Sunday because they attended the ring ceremony for the McDonald’s All-American Game. But both will be watching the Final Four this weekend.
South Carolina, the top-ranked team in the country all season, will play Louisville or Michigan in the Final Four on Friday in Minnesota. The Gamecocks are looking for their second national championship under Dawn Staley.
“We got it. I think we have a good chance to win it,” Cooper said. “And next year, we got it, too. We got the right talent on the floor and just have to focus.”
Both Watkins and Cooper say they are enjoying the all-star game experience and said it’s a great preview of the level of talent they will go up against the next few years at South Carolina. Both are looking forward to playing for their home state team and learning under hall-of-famer like Staley.
“I think coach Staley is going to do a lot for me (in my career),” Watkins said. “I like the pace they run at, and it is always full speed on defense as well. There is always go, go, and I can fit in with that.”
How to Watch McDonald’s All-American Game
- What: 2022 McDonald’s Boys and Girls All-American games
- When: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. (Girls), 9 p.m. (Boys)
- TV/Stream: Girls game will be on ESPN2 and boys on ESPN. Both games can be streamed on ESPN app or Watch ESPN.
- SC Players to Watch: Ashlyn Watkins and Talaysia Cooper (girls), Julian Phillips (boys)
