Freshman duo grows up fast for Phoenix
Impactful rookies continue to excel in blossoming roles
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Rookies Tamia Watkins and Ashanti Fox continue to play impactful minutes for Elon.
In a season defined by adjustment, opportunity and growth, two rookies have helped steady Elon women’s basketball when it mattered most.
Freshman center Tamia Watkins controls the paint and freshman guard Ashanti Fox controls the pace. The rookies have combined to earn Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honors for four-straight weeks, going back to Jan. 19.
Together, they represent both the present and the future of the Phoenix.
Owning the glass
Not long ago at Andrew Jackson High School in Kershaw, South Carolina, Watkins could dominate games on sheer presence alone.
“High school was very easy for me, because I was bigger than the majority of people I played with,” Watkins said. “I could just go down in the paint and score with ease. Sometimes I would have three people on me, and I could still do it.”
Watkins’ 6’2” frame led her to be the school’s all-time leading scorer and a 2AA conference state champion. But at the Division I level, it hasn’t been as simple. That’s exactly why her impact has been so impressive.
The freshman center is averaging 7.3 points per game while leading Elon in rebounds. Her 5.2 rebounds per game is the most for any rookie in the CAA, and second-most by an Elon rookie in the last decade.
Head coach Charlotte Smith said the growing play of Watkins is essential for the team.
“It’s important for us to get those rebounds,” Smith said. “If we can do that consistently, we really have a chance of winning.”
Over a recent two-week stretch, she averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, earning back-to-back CAA Rookie of the Week honors on Feb. 2 and Feb. 9.
For an “undersized big,” as she describes herself, success has required a different formula: preparation and humility.
Freshman Tamia Watkins breaks away for a transition lay-up against the College of Charleston.
“You really have to study that player,” Watkins said of facing bigger post players. “Which side does she like to go to? Is she quick on her feet? You’d rather know what’s going to happen beforehand than be surprised.”
The speed of the college game forced her to adapt quickly. Playing time fluctuates. Every possession demands discipline.
“Coach says that everybody has a role on the team, and you have to be perfect in that role,” Watkins said. “You’ll be in high school, you can just do everything. When you come to college, you have to play in the team.”
She defines her role as a “connector” — a versatile presence who rebounds, passes and scores when needed. If her shot isn’t falling, she crashes the glass. If a teammate has the hot hand, she feeds them.
That team-first mentality mirrors what head coach Charlotte Smith has instilled in her.
“She's helping me learn to become a leader, and just to know that everything's not about you,” Watkins said. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself to become something better or help other people.”
The result has been steady growth, and lately, dominance on the boards.
“I just wanted to be dominant,” Watkins said of her recent stretch. “I wanted to show my coaches and teammates I can be that player for y’all.”
Seizing the moment
Freshman gaurd Ashanti Fox fires from long-range against the CAA's No. 1 ranked defense, the College of Charleston.
While Watkins has carved out her role inside, Fox has embraced a different kind of responsibility.
The 5’7” guard from Vass, North Carolina, was named CAA Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks earlier this season on Jan. 19 and Jan. 26. She’s found success as Elon’s main option off the bench, leading the Phoenix in minutes played without ever being a starter.
When sophomore Jayda Angel went down with a season-ending injury early in the year, Fox’s role expanded immediately.
“Once that happened, I had to switch my mentality from freshman to upperclassman,” Fox said. “It was a big jump.”
That shift meant more than scoring. It meant running the offense, organizing sets, and providing energy. It’s a challenge that Smith said was huge for the program.
“She’s got the ability to make those shots that we need in big moments,” Smith said.
Fox’s path to this moment wasn’t seamless. Summer injuries and preseason illness left her feeling “three weeks behind” when practices intensified. Conditioning became a priority. So did trust.
“Coach Smith’s confidence and trust in me is number one,” Fox said. “When I came back from my injuries, I didn’t have a lot of trust in myself.”
After a costly turnover against Campbell University in a loss on Jan. 9, Fox said she sent Smith a text, thanking her for the trust she’s been given.
“I was like, I will make sure that next time it is a better outcome,” Fox said. “It’s just about the trust she instills in me that keeps me going.”
Smith’s tough love is something both freshmen emphasized. She fosters a tough environment in practice and in the film room.
“My college coaches always told me that film doesn't lie,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to teach them to be open to constructive feedback, and ready for tough film sessions.”
Fox admits she can get down on herself after mistakes. She said that Smith’s message is simple: next play.
“She's helped me grow in that aspect of the game,” Fox said. “Just telling me that basketball is a game of mistakes. We try to minimize them, but we're going to have mistakes.”
Her work ethic reinforces that confidence. Elon’s team goal includes 50 free throws and 50 threes per day outside of scrimmaging, which Fox credits with helping her become a great three-level scorer. If she doesn’t get them up before practice, she returns at night.
“I'm consistently in the gym trying to work on all three levels finishes,” Fox said. “It’s just a matter of going out and getting it.”
Building toward March
Both freshmen speak less about individual accolades and more about timing.
“We don’t want to be playing our best basketball in February or January,” Fox said. “You want to be playing your best basketball in March.”
Elon currently ranks 6th in CAA with a 6-5 conference record.
Watkins echoed the same sentiment, emphasizing growth after losses and learning from adversity in the film room.
“I just want to do whatever it takes to win,” she said.
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