When can Ashlyn Watkins return to South Carolina women's basketball? Timeline, key dates

COLUMBIA — In three months South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley lost two of her top forwards before the 2025-26 season started. Six months after tearing her ACL, Ashlyn Watkins announced last July that she would be taking an entire year off of both school and basketball. Then in October, Chloe Kitts tore her ACL.

They both missed the entire 2025-26 season but are now returning as key pieces to the Gamecocks ' 2026-27 roster. Watkins stayed with the team and was on the bench after getting injured in 2024-25. But since she decided to completely step away, she wasn't on the bench during games like Kitts was this season.

South Carolina's season ended with a loss to UCLA in the national championship game. Classes for spring semester ended on April 27 and exams end May 6. Summer classes start May 11 and the team typically returns for practice in mid-June.

Last year, players arrived between June 12-15. Watkins can begin taking classes on May 11, but her actual "return" will be with the rest of the team in June. Once summer school starts, teams can engage in summer sessions for a period of eight weeks, but the exact start date is up to each team.