COLUMBIA— The fact that the nickname is sincere rather than ironic is what makes it endearing.
“They call her ‘Cheese,’ because she’s always smiling,” remarks Asia Dozier, Ashlyn Watkins’ high school coach and alum of Dawn Staley’s program.
Excuse me? Ashlyn Watkins is always smiling?
Granted, that’s not supposed to happen on the court because that’s her work station, and she takes her job seriously.
However, when one sees her there or in photos from No. 1 South Carolina’s social media accounts, she hardly ever smiles—not when she’s at the Gamecock Gala, the Eiffel Tower, or boarding a plane to play a road game.
Her mouth frequently forms a straight, serious line as part of a bored or wish she was playing look. She also doesn’t frequently yell on the court, instead sticking to a brief “Woo!” or “Let’s go!” after getting the audience to stand once more.
However, those closest to her—those she chooses to admit into her very close inner circle—are the ones who can attest to this. She has evolved into the most important player for the Gamecocks during the previous four games, surpassing the unsmiling sophomore who rose to fame as a teenage dunk specialist.
Even after winning the state titles or the McDonald’s All-American slam dunk competition, she didn’t seem all that happy. James “Pooh” Abrams, who started training Watkins in the sixth grade, remarked, “She maintains an even face.” She enjoys making jokes and is quite witty. You can hear her muttering little things under her breath and her sneaky jokes.
The last four opponents of the Gamecocks have heard a really offensive joke. First, Kamilla Cardoso, the starting center, missed two games since she was competing in an Olympic qualification competition. Later, starting forward Chloe Kitts was absent due to illness. Every time, Watkins entered the starting lineup.
Then she turned in performances so dizzying that the losing teams were saying, “She’s a backup? Yeah, that’s pretty funny … ”
Twelve rebounds, nine steals, two double-doubles, and, of course, four wins.
not unusual for the unbeaten Gamecocks but yet another testament to how ridiculously wealthy this team is when it comes to winning games. Staley,
who has always been a stickler for sticking with the starting lineup because those players earned it, was shaking her head following the most recent game, a rout of No. 15 Connecticut. Kitts is expected to be back for Thursday’s matchup with Tennessee, and Cardoso is anticipated to play again.
but Watkins has earned a spot; the coach will decide where to put him.
“Ashlyn is super-impressive. We have to have Ashlyn on the floor,” Staley said. “When Kamilla comes back, whether (Watkins) stays in the starting lineup, whether she comes off the bench, we have to have her on the floor. She’s proven that.”
That could bring a smile to Watkins’ face. Maybe.
“She’s very personable, but she’s very guarded. She’ll talk to you and answer questions and engage with you, but sometimes those answers are one-liners,” Abrams said. “She bottles her emotions for the court. You can tell now because when she dunked that last time, she didn’t jump up or down as she went back.
“She knew that was going to do something to help the team.”
That’s what always stood out about her, even as the best player at Cardinal Newman and a national prospect. Watkins could dunk but that didn’t mean she would, not when she could help in other ways.
“One thing that flew very under the radar was her actual skill set. When we were doing ball-handling, she’s doing the same things the guards are doing,” said Dozier, who coached Watkins as a junior and senior. “She was one of the best 3-point shooters on our team for two seasons. She didn’t take a lot of them, but she was comfortable taking them.”
Dozier also found out that despite the proximity to her star, it was very much a coach-player relationship. Watkins was never standoffish or acted out; it’s just that it’s always been her way to only offer trust after a lengthy period.
“She’s not somebody that you get to know that well in two years. She’s got her circle that’s been around her her entire life,” Dozier said. “I was a very small piece by the time I entered her circle.”
It didn’t hinder the compliments.
“You think she’s great now, just wait till her senior season. She is the No. 1 athlete I’ve ever coached, the best athlete that I’ve not played against,” Dozier marveled. “I could be at the free-throw line and she could be at half-court and I’d still think she’d have a chance to block me.”
Abrams knew her much earlier in life and became a confidante as well as a trainer. He was the one who advised her to go somewhere where she would want to play for the coach and where she could truly accomplish her goal — to play in the WNBA. There was no shortage of schools to choose from, but which one fit those parameters?
Watkins picked USC, knowing full well she would struggle for minutes in a senior-laden lineup. Abrams encouraged her to go as hard as she could in practice, even if it was against then-National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, and prove herself despite the limited minutes.
The first dunk came in a blowout out of Clemson. But the energy was constant whenever she got in.
That led to more minutes this year, and to the last four games.
“It’s like seeing your child make straight As,” Abrams said. “She’s just excited about not only playing, but playing at a high level.”
Watkins will work on the smiles — not that she needs to.
