Hometown standout, USC target gains fame for her talent – and her dunks

Ashlyn Watkins is at it again.

The Cardinal Newman eighth grader threw down a dunk Thursday as part of the school’s Dance Marathon Fundraiser Dunk contest for Palmetto Children’s Hospital.

It’s not the first time the 6-foot-2 Watkins has dunked.

Watkins dunked in practice a couple of times this year. As an 11-year-old, she dunked on a 9-foot goal at an all-star event and it appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Last summer, Watkins dunked at the Pooh Abrams “Hoopology” camp in Columbia, and it also made national news.

Watkins has an offer from South Carolina and interest from several Division I schools.

This season, Watkins averaged 14.6 points and 11.8 rebounds in helping the Cardinals to SCISA 3A championship.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Hometown standout, USC target gains fame for her talent – and her dunks."