Dawn Staley Says Ashlyn Watkins Will Remain Suspended As Her Legal Issues Play Out

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The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team is going to try to defend its national title but head coach Dawn Staley confirmed that at least for the time being, they will be doing it without forward Ashlyn Watkins.

Watkins was charged in connection with a strange incident that reportedly occurred on the school's campus in late August. Watkins is alleged to have assaulted a female victim by "forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her," according to warrants filed by USC Police and reported by News 19 WLTX at the time.

This led to the junior being charged with first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping. That latter stems from an allegation that Watkins "grabbed the victim's head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving."

So, will she be in the lineup while the legal situation plays out?

No.

"Nothing’s moved yet," Staley said Tuesday, per the Associated Press. "We’re not going to move until her situation’s settled down a little bit. It’s out of her control. It’s out of our control."

Ashlyn Watkins of the South Carolina Gamecocks listens to head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Watkins has not been with the team since the incident occurred and did not make the trip to the White House a couple of weeks back.

Staley did provide something of an update when asked how Watkins was doing while suspended from the team.

"Yeah, she’s great," she said.

Watkins — a Columbia, South Carolina native — averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season.

Before the incident, it was believed that Wakins would slot into the lineup to replace Kamilla Cardoso, who now plays in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky.

The Gamecocks title defense campaign will get underway on Nov. 4 when they host the Michigan Wolverines.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.