South Carolina basketball star facing assault charges for Saturday incident

In a shocking bit of news that broke just minutes before the South Carolina football team began their season-opening game against the Old Dominion Monarchs, reports surfaced that South Carolina basketball star Ashlyn Watkins was arrested on Saturday following an incident that occurred earlier in the morning.

According to a report from WLTX News19’s Chris Buchanon, Watkins got into a physical altercation at the 650 Lincoln Street student housing complex, a location in which many student-athletes live during the school year. Allegedly, following some undescribed encourter, Watkins grabbed a female victim and pulled her down a hallway before the victim escaped by pulling a fire alarm, which alerted first responders and law enforcement. University of South Carolina Police responded to the alarm and made the arrest.

Watkins has been charged with first-degree assault and battery, and because she prevented the victim (with force) from leaving the encounter and physically moved her against her will, Watkins has been charged with kidnapping, as well. She was granted a $30,000 bond.

Watkins, who was a 2nd team All-SEC contributor on last season’s undefeated National Championship-winning team and, as a rising junior, she was expected to be a major part of this year’s team, too. While the legal issue’s direct consequences are still pending, it also is unclear at this time what disciplinary action could be levied against Watkins by the University or by South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley.

Watkins has been one of the offseason favorites among college basketball analysts to win the National Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Last year, fellow forward Sahnya Jah was suspended indefinitely for an undisclosed issue. Without a future available to her at USC, Jah transferred away from the Gamecocks this offseason, landing with the Arizona Wildcats.