Apr 6, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Ashlyn Watkins speaks with media during a press conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

South Carolina Star Makes Major Announcement on Status for 2025-26 Season

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 3:56 PM ET

South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball star Ashlyn Watkins went down with a concerning knee injury a few minutes into her team's January 5 game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Two days later, news broke that Wakins had suffered a torn ACL as a result of this incident, which prompted her to miss the rest of that 2024-25 campaign.

This was a brutal blow for Dawn Staley's squad. While they did well enough without Watkins all the way until the national championship game against UConn, their lack of frontcourt depth handicapped them against Geno Auriemma's Huskies, which led to a UConn blowout win.

Ashlyn Watkins to Miss 2025-26 Season

However, it wasn't just the end of the 2025 season that Watkins won't be playing in, which was shown in a July 25 Instagram post she made.

"As most of you know, this past year has been a roller coaster for me. I usually like to keep my private life private, but every time I step out into the community, I realize I'm not alone in this journey. So many of you have shown me love and encouragement, and because of that, I feel like I owe you a little insight into what's been going on," the post wrote.

It later added, "With everything that's happened this year, I'm going to take some time off to focus on myself, my community, my faith, and my family, so that I can grow as an individual and attempt to master this journey of life.

"I'm so grateful for my coaches, the USC medical staff, team, my teammates, and everyone who's supported me along the way. For now, I'll be cheering on my team and working hard to come back even stronger for the 2025-27 season," the post concluded.