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Dawn Staley Notes Loss of Ashlyn Watkins May Cause South Carolina Play Style Change

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley got honest about how losing Ashlyn Watkins will affect her team's style of play.

Grant Young

Oct 16, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

South Carolina Gamecocks star forward Ashlyn Watkins suffered a non-contact knee injury during her team's January 5 game against Mississippi State.

Watkins was dribbling into the paint a few minutes into the second quarter when she went up for a contested shot and got fouled. Her left leg buckled as she landed back on the ground, which prompted an awkward fall and her falling to the floor. Watkins quickly grabbed her left knee and remained on the ground for about a minute before being helped to the locker room by a member of Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley's staff.

There wasn't an update on the severity of Watkins' injury until January 7, when it was revealed that Watkins suffered a torn ACL in her left knee and would need surgery to repair the torn ligament. She will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 NCAA season as a result.

Staley spoke with the media during her team's January 8 practice. When asked about what it will be like playing without Watkins, Staley offered an interesting response.

“In the games, we might need to try something different. We might need to play small ball," Staley said, per an X post from WACH Fox's Matt Dowell. "Last time that we lost a big such as Ashlyn we played small ball, and it worked out for us. We might have to pull that rabbit out of our hat."

Staley also discussed how Watkins delivered the devastating news to her teammates.

"Ashlyn told them. I didn't tell them. I gave it to her to tell them, and obviously they're saddened by it because she's an integral part of our team," Staley said, per Matt Dowell. "But injuries happen. A lot of times when our players get injured, whether it's for a shorter period of time or the end of the season, we just keep it moving.

"Try not to harp on it too much, because it's felt. But the more you move on, the more they move on. And our players have to move on," Staley continued. "I feel like other people will step up and play a bigger role for us."

Given how talented South Carolina's team is, they won't suffer from losing a player of Watkins' caliber as badly as most other teams would. But it's still a significant blow for the defending NCAA champions.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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