Freshman forward Ashlyn Watkins finds role in Gamecocks’ deep post rotation
South Carolina women’s basketball has an abundance of “bigs” on its roster, each with varying experience playing college basketball. And its freshman reserve, Ashlyn Watkins, just played her first game in the Gamecocks’ win against East Tennessee State.
The first-year forward showed flashes of her skills in the season opener. The 6-foot-3 Watkins finished with 11 points in 18 minutes while chipping in eight rebounds and two blocks.
She also played a big role in the team’s exhibition win last week over Benedict. Dawn Staley heaped praise on her abilities afterward, saying she wants Watkins to be “dominant.”
“We’re not going to limit her,” Staley said after the team’s exhibition. “We want her to do it all. We want her to rebound and push. We want her to score, be aggressive. And slowly, it’s going to come.”
Watkins, a McDonald’s All-American her senior year at Cardinal Newman, is adjusting the college level.
The rigors of the Gamecocks’ practices require a lot from the players, and Staley noted how fast the pace can be.
“I think she wants me to be more active, on both ends of the court,” Watkins said. “Just continue to play to my best ability because sometimes I take plays off. I think she just wants me to be consistent the whole game.”
Watkins spent the summer working on 15-footers and three-pointers. Her first points in the season opener came with a midrange shot from the free throw line. Jump-shooting is something Watkins said she wanted to improve on.
She’s also a physically imposing player, and Staley said she doesn’t always realize her own strength.
“Her touching somebody, it’s really a nudge out there,” Staley said.
The post players on USC’s roster have a range of skillsets.
Players like Aliyah Boston, Victaria Saxton and Kamilla Cardoso use their size to overpower opponents. Others like Watkins, Laeticia Amihere and Sania Feagin have the ability to push the ball up the floor during fast breaks.
Each of those players played at least 15 minutes on Monday.
“I consider us big guards,” Boston said jokingly. “We definitely have a lot of depth, which I think could make it a challenge for other teams. So I’m excited to see how it all plays out and see the different positions that we all play.”
Staley experimented with different lineups against ETSU. She rotated players to give them continuity together, she said, particularly the starters at certain points of the game.
Feagin is another player who’s gaining more game experience. She played 31 games last year, and played 13 minutes in the team’s first NCAA tournament game against Howard. She scored 15 points in 15 minutes in the home opener.
USC is looking to find balance with both players in the team’s overall dynamic.
“It’s just gonna be a give and take,” Staley said. “What’s really important is we find a way to get them the ball to really reward them for running. They’re still very young.”
The team has a few high-profile games approaching, including games against No. 17 Maryland and No. 2 Stanford this month.
Like most years, Staley will shore up the rotation at some point during the season.
“We have more bigs than we do guards,” Staley said.
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 8:45 AM.
