South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins returns to practice, suspension lifted after criminal charges were dismissed

Criminal charges against Ashlyn Watkins were dropped on Nov. 1, according to court records.

The South Carolina Basketball star was arrested in late August on charges of assault, battery and kidnapping.

Shortly after the arrest, Watkins learned she had been suspended from the team. The junior from Columbia, South Carolina, was allowed to continue taking classes.

The University of South Carolina released a statement Wednesday confirming the forward was back to practice.

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“With the dismissal of the legal charges, South Carolina junior forward Ashlyn Watkins has returned to team activities beginning with today’s practice,” the statement said.

Watkins had not trained with the team and was not among the group that traveled to Washington, D.C. for a while Visit to the White House in September to commemorate last season’s national championship.

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She wasn’t there either top-ranked Gamecocks They defeated Michigan 68-62 in Las Vegas on Monday night to open the season.

Watkins led the Southeastern Conference with 91 blocks last season and has recorded the only two dunks in program history, one as a freshman and one as a sophomore.

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Watkins is expected to take over for Kamilla Cardoso, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder last season. Cardoso was a first-round pick WNBA Draft picked by the Chicago Sky.

South Carolina takes over NC State Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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