South Carolina basketball forward Ashlyn Watkins has had assault and kidnapping charges dropped after being arrested during the summer.

Watkins has already returned to team practice with the No. 1 ranked Gamecocks, which will face NC State next on November 10. Online court records, as seen by the Associated Press, show that Watkins’ case was dismissed on November 1.

The Gamecocks confirmed to Mirror Sport US that those legal charges had been dropped and Watkins had returned to team activities, starting with practice on Wednesday.

Watkins has yet to react to her suspension being lifted on Instagram or X. She missed the first two exhibition games of the season against Memphis and Clayton State, resulting in wins in her absence. She also was absent for the team’s trip to the White House in September to celebrate the NCAA championship win against Iowa in April.

Watkins, 21, is expected to play a big role for South Carolina this season after helping the Gamecocks win the NCAA championship last time around. She was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2022 and a second-team All-SEC in 2024.

South Carolina’s title defense officially kicked off with a hard-fought 68-62 win over Michigan last Monday. The Gamecocks avoided an upset loss early in their season-long campaign following the 21-point performance of junior forward Chloe Kitts and 15 points from second-year guard Tessa Johnson.

Ashlyn Watkins shoots the ball

Ashlyn Watkins returned to practice following the season-opening win against Michigan ( 

Image:

Getty)

Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley was honest after the narrow victory, citing a lack of physicality, though early in the season. “They imposed their will on us and were in attack mode for most of the night. We made adjustments. I saw us get on the floor for loose balls. I did see a little bit of nastiness to our game and prettiness – that’s what you want to see,” she said.

“It’s a really young season, and we’re going to get everybody’s best all the time,” she continued. “We’re fortunate to do it.”

Watkins was fourth in scoring on the team last season behind WNBA Draft selection Kamilla Cardoso [14.4 ppg], second-year guard MiLaysia Fulwiley [11.7 ppg], and senior guard Te-Hina Paopao [11 ppg.]