Yahoo Sports Ashlyn Watkins is back with USC basketball. Will she play Sunday vs. NC State?
Ashyln Watkins will be with the No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball team Sunday when the Gamecocks travel to Charlotte to face No. 9 N.C. State.
She’ll suit up and be available to play against the Wolfpack, head coach Dawn Staley said Friday.
“If she’s out here (practicing), she’s gonna play,” Staley said.
Watkins, a junior forward returned to practice and all team activities Wednesday, per a USC statement.
Watkins rejoined the team after an indefinite suspension due to an Aug. 31 arrest on charges of first degree assault and battery and kidnapping at an on-campus student housing complex, according to online records of the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit Public Index.
The charges were dropped last Friday, Nov. 1, after Watkins completed a pre-trial intervention program for first-time non-violent offenders.
“Ashlyn’s back. We welcome her back,” Staley said Friday. “We’re going to let her get acclimated to being back on the team. And we look forward to just having our entire team back in the fold.”
The suspension lasted just over two months, with Watkins missing South Carolina’s trip to the White House to be honored by President Joe Biden for its 2024 national championship, all of the preseason practice and Monday’s season opener against Michigan in Las Vegas.
The 6-foot-3 Columbia native averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last year for the defending champs. She’s regarded as one of the Gamecocks’ best defensive players and led the SEC a year ago with 91 blocks.
Staley in September spoke about Watkins as a leader and someone who contributes to team morale.
“Ashlyn has a great voice in the locker room,” Staley said.
Next four USC WBB games
Sunday: vs. No. 9 NC State in Charlotte, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday: vs. Coppin State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 17: vs. East Carolina, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 20: at Clemson, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
