A member of the University of South Carolina women’s basketball championship team was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and assault.
Power forward Ashlyn Watkins is a reserve player on legendary coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks team that won the national championship over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in April 2024.
According to the police report obtained by The State newspaper, USC campus police responded to an alarm that was pulled and saw an unidentified woman “screaming for help” on the deck of a parking garage. The report stated Watkins allegedly assaulted the victim by “forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her arms and pushing.”
The warrant includes the accusation that Watkins picked up the victim against her will and “grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.” This resulted in the kidnapping charges. The victim managed to break free at one point and pull the fire alarm.
The victim was “visibly upset,” and told authorities she had gotten into an argument with Watkins. The victim said the altercation was precipitated by Watkins’ belief that she was cheating on her.
First responders treated the victim for her injuries, which were considered non-life threatening.
Watkins was charged with first-degree assault and kidnapping after the incident and released on a $30K bond.
The Gamecocks and the university were notified of Watkins’ arrest and told reporters they are looking into the matter but declined further comment.
The State reported that an automatic suspension is likely if the report turns out to be true. Watkins is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 25, 10 days before USC’s 2024-25 season opener against Michigan in Las Vegas on Nov. 4.
