Last month, South Carolina women’s basketball player Ashlyn Watkins was arrested following an incident on campus.
Watkins, who is heading into her junior season with the Gamecocks, was charged with first-degree assault and battery, as well as with kidnapping. According to a report from WLTX, Watkins allegedly assaulted the victim by “forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her” before picking her up and carrying her against her will.
Police also say Watkins, the former South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022, “grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.”
Since the incident, Watkins has been suspended from team activities. Head coach Dawn Staley provided an update on her status this afternoon.
“Nothing’s moved yet,” Staley told reporters Tuesday, via 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.”
While Watkins has been away from the team for the last three weeks, Staley said she is doing “great.”
A 6-foot-3 forward, Watkins appeared in 38 games with 10 starts for South Carolina last season. She averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and led the national champions in blocked shots with 91.
The Columbia, South Carolina native is due in court October 25, with the Gamecocks’ 2024-25 season opener set for Nov. 4 in Las Vegas against Michigan.
Related: South Carolina Women’s Basketball Star Arrested On Disturbing Charges