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South Carolina’s first official day of practice is on Monday. We look at four burning questions as the Gamecocks begin their Repeat Tour.
The Gamecocks have actually been practicing all summer (and Dawn Staley always gently makes fun of us for making a big deal over the “first practice”), but this is a nice milestone. What are the biggest questions with six weeks until the season begins?
1. What is Ashlyn Watkins’ status?
On August 31, Watkins was arrested on charges of assault and kidnapping. Following the arrest, she was automatically suspended from team activities (you can read more about the situation HERE).
Watkins was groomed last season to take over following Kamilla Cardoso’s departure and was a presumed starter. She is an incredible athlete, with three career dunks, and in my mind should have won SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Woman of the Year last season. Watkins grabbed 20 rebounds in the Final Four against NC State and was poised for a breakout season as a key part of the lineup.
Now that is in question. Watkins’ next court appearance is on October 25, just over a week before the season opener.
Best Case scenario, the charges are dropped and Watkins can rejoin the team. She still would have missed almost all of preseason practice and could be looking at a suspension for a few games.
Worst case scenario, the case goes to trial and Watkins is out indefinitely, possibly the entire season.
Either way, South Carolina has to prepare a Plan B to play without Watkins, while Watkins has a potentially life-altering situation in front of her.
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2. Who is the post?
With Watkins’ availability up in the air, South Carolina has to prepare as if she won’t be handling the post. Enter Adhel Tac and Maryam Dauda, two talented but unproven players.
Tac is a redshirt freshman who enrolled early last January. She impressed the coaches with her understanding of the game, but due to injuries, Tac has barely played over the past two years. At 6-6, can she be the new version of 6-7 Kamilla Cardoso?
Dauda is entirely different. She has two seasons of SEC basketball under her belt and, like Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, can block shots and stretch the court with her shooting ability. But she played an entirely different system at Arkansas, leaving Dauda feeling like a freshman again learning South Carolina’s system.
Both have sky-high potential but need to prove it.
3. What should we expect from Joyce Edwards?
I’ve repeatedly called Edwards the most decorated recruit South Carolina has ever signed. Some of you have taken issue with that and pointed to A’ja Wilson. Regardless of me being right, it doesn’t matter anymore: Joyce is now a current Gamecock.
Edwards is a positionless player – she can rebound and finish at the rim like a post, defend like a forward, and shoot like a wing.
That’s definitely an asset, but it also makes it more challenging for the coaches to figure out how to use her best. As a freshman, Wilson had a simple role: come off the bench, grab some rebounds, score some points, block some shots, and don’t get in the way of the veteran players. Edwards may have a similar role.
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4. How good will the sophomores be?
In her first college exhibition, MiLaysia Fulwiley hit a buzzer-beating three. In her first real game, she had a spectacular viral layup. Fulwiley happens. And then she figured out how to play college basketball.
The Fulwiley we saw in March, the one that was named SEC Tournament MVP and then abused North Carolina and ran circles around Iowa, was exponentially better than the Fulwiley that started the season.
She learned how to play defense and she learned how to do the little things, the plays between the plays, as Staley said.
Now that Fulwiley knows what she is doing, what insanity is she going to produce?
And Tessa Johnson? I loved Tessa Johnson’s game in high school, I loved her game last season, and I especially loved her game in the last two months of the season. In many ways, she’s the antithesis of Fulwiley in that she thrives on making all the simple plays. Johnson just had to build her confidence.
Now we get a full season of Tournament Tessa. On South Carolina’s uber-talented roster, Johnson is one player who stands out as a likely future WNBA star. How does she continue to develop this season?
