South Carolina will be without forward Ashlyn Watkins for the entire 2025-26 season. Watkins will be a senior forward when she returns to the court in 2026-27. She’s been a significant contributor to South Carolina in her 2 1/2 seasons of action.
Watkins was an all-SEC pick in 2023-24 when Carolina went undefeated and won a national title. She averaged 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game for that team, starting periodically and playing 20.6 minutes per game. Perhaps her greatest moment was grabbing 20 rebounds in the Final Four against NC State.
The 6’3″ forward was figured to be a significant part of the 2024-25 team. That was scuttled when she tore her ACL in early January. Watkins was averaging 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds on the season to that point.
That ACL injury has been slow to heal and rather than rush back midway through the season, Watkins will sit out the entire season. That decision is probably a good one for Watkins’ future, but it might not be a great one for South Carolina. The Gamecocks are expected to have some issues without Watkins, and here’s a rundown.
5 reasons why the loss of Ashlyn Watkins could be trouble for South Carolina
Watkins’ Rebounding Presence Will Be Hard to Replace
As that 20-board performance in the Final Four suggests, Watkins is a uniquely gifted rebounder. Watkins averaged 14.3 rebounds per 40 minutes played in her sophomore season and still had 12.8 boards per 40 minutes in her shortened junior season. Chloe Kitts with 7.7 boards per game last year is the only returnee who can boast similar rebounding skills. While Carolina has plenty of size without Watkins, size is far from the only component of rebounding.
Watkins’ Shotblocking Could Be Even Harder to Replace
But while Watkins is a rare scorer, she’s an even more impressive shot blocker. Her per 40 minute totals of 4.7 blocked shots per game in 2023-24 and 3.9 in her abbreviated 2024-25 season are astonishing. Raven Johnson’s 0.6 blocks per game are now the best total of any returning player and even 6’5″ Madina Okot doesn’t have Watkins’ shotblocking ability. A mistake-eraser down low has been a significant luxury with Watkins, but not without her.
Carolina has been nearly unbeatable with Watkins, but not so much without her
Watkins has played in 84 games at South Carolina. Their record in those games is 83-1. Watkins did not play in South Carolina’s lone loss in her freshman year, then the team went undefeated in her sophomore season. USC was 13-1 when Watkins played, with the lone loss coming to UCLA in December. When Watkins hasn’t played in her three seasons, Carolina is a relatively mundane 26-4. That’s not coincidental; it speaks of the significance of Watkins.
A lack of veteran leadership could arise
With Watkins out for the season, Chloe Kitts and Raven Johnson are the only seniors with extensive South Carolina experience. Johnson scored just 4.9 points per game last year, which leaves Kitts as the only reliable scorer who was part of the two seasons with one loss that Carolina saw in Watkins’ first two years. Sure, players like Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot are experienced, but not within the context of Dawn Staley’s program.
The absence of Watkins could hurt the perimeter game
Without Watkins, Chloe Kitts may have to work inside more. That may not seem like a big deal, but as a 33% 3-point shooter, Kitts is the best perimeter threat that Carolina returned. Joyce Edwards isn’t a shooter, neither is Madina Okot. Reserves Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac aren’t shooters either. Neither Raven Johnson or Maddy McDaniel shot 30% last season from 3-point range. Forcing Kitts inside could hurt USC’s already iffy 3-point shooting.
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