Ashlyn Watkins, a forward for the South Carolina women’s basketball team, cheerfully swished one shot after another on Friday, hitting eight consecutive at one point before an erroneous attempt bounced high off the back of the hoop.
A manager quickly recovered the ball and handed it back to Watkins, who began another streak of makes. She continued to smile as she became “acclimated” (as coach Dawn Staley phrased it) to being back on the field.
Particularly after being exiled for two months. Watkins, a junior, was charged with kidnapping, first-degree assault, and battery. The charges were withdrawn on November 1st, and she completed Pre-Trial Intervention.
This is a program that allows first-time nonviolent offenders to have their charges reduced if they meet specific standards.
She resumed team activities on Wednesday.”
Ashlyn is back, and we welcome her back,” Staley said. “We will give her time to adjust to being back on the team, and we look forward to having our entire team back.” We are most effective when we have a full roster, especially when everyone is well.So, it feels pleasant and natural. It does not feel unnatural to us. It feels like we’re done now.” Certainly, the 6-foot-3 Watkins’ homecoming is welcome for the top-ranked Gamecocks (1-0), even if she is still getting “acclimated” to being back.
We welcome your return.
Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7.1 rebounds while playing slightly over 20 minutes last season, primarily as a reserve.
She is also a tough defender, having blocked 91 shots in total. Watkins’ production style is perfectly suited to USC’s tall approach on that end of the floor.
Her comeback can only help soothe some of the stress and concern surrounding the Gamecocks’ trip to Las Vegas.
They left the desert with a 1-0 victory over Michigan in their season opener. But even Staley admitted that something was off: USC won 68-62 to open the season unblemished, but did not perform as expected.
When the Gamecocks play No. 9 NC State in Charlotte on Sunday, she will know if the kinks have been worked out And with Watkins coming off the bench, at least for this week, we’ll see how things change.Staley declared, “She will play if she is out here.” Definitely.
Additionally, she might have a historic game, maybe one that is similar to the 20-rebound effort she had during the Gamecocks’ victory over the Wolfpack in the previous season’s national semifinals. What about after that, though? when non-conference opponents aren’t playing each other in a neutral venue in a neutral city?
This afternoon, the Carolina Coliseum was a joyful and secure place. It was a setting where people who express regret and put forth the effort to attempt to make things right are given second chances.
For this reason, Staley stated rather plainly, “we’re not going to keep revisiting it.” From her perspective, the case is closed.The judicial system and the university seem to agree.
When the Gamecocks get in town, the worst aspects of fandom will probably surface. Even if their team can’t defeat USC on the court, some of the less polite fans will go out of their way to humiliate Watkins and company because USC is already every other team’s Super Bowl.
The amount of hate that is already leaking out on message boards across the SEC and beyond is unknowable. However, if you don’t have to see something, it’s simple to ignore it. The evenings when Watkins is subjected to taunts and derision will be the ones that present
