Few things can alter one’s life like the birth of a child. In most cases, bringing a child into this world signals the proudest moment of a person’s life. To be able put another person’s life ahead of your own marks one of the purest things in life.When Lydia Watkins talks about her child, Jaylen, her smile says it all. She’s happy, she’s proud and she’s blessed to be able to take care of her 9-month-old son.But even the proud mother of one can look back and realize how much her life has changed over the past year. At this time a year ago, Watkins was on the bench pregnant with her future very much in doubt. “It’s been pretty much an eye opener really,” Watkins said of the past year. “It has changed a lot of things as far as maturing more and trying to focus on my career so I can make my life better for my son. It’s been an eye opener and a blessing in disguise.”Watkins could barely even stand to watch last season as her teammates struggled down the stretch to a Women’s National Invitational Tournament berth. As the season drug on, the Cats barely had enough players to field a starting lineup.The Hopkinsville, Ky., native took it to heart because she said her decisions put her team in that position.”That’s the roughest part of it all was sitting there and watching knowing I couldn’t do anything about it,” Watkins said. “It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through. Last year was really tough because I knew some of the decisions I made led to me sitting out.”The pregnancy and the birth of her child put things in perspective, she says. Life’s responsibilities forced your typical college basketball player into a mature adult, one who is more conscientious of the decisions she makes and how it affects her and her son’s future.”I’m more responsible,” Watkins said. “I have to be on a schedule, drop my son off at daycare and go to class. There have been a lot of changes as far growing up to be a great mother.”Before Jaylen, Watkins was an athletic 6-foot-1 swing guard who could play tenacious defense and spell minutes in the paint. Her work ethic was great, but her attitude wasn’t always in the right place. “She’s always played with energy,” head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “It just wasn’t always positive energy. At times she would get really down on herself or down on the situation, so then it would be a detriment to her.”But the birth of her child and a career bout with back injuries, specifically spondylolisthesis, a stress fracture of her vertebrae, have put things into perspective. When you’ve got another person to tend to and take care of, basketball can seem so trivial.And yet it felt so important for Watkins. Returning for her senior season with a newfound look on life, Watkins viewed it has her final chance at UK – an opportunity to make one final mark in Lexington.She rebuilt her attitude and harnessed her work ethic, and as a result, it’s revitalized what was always a promising career. “She’s always played hard with a lot of effort, but she’s doing just a better job of channeling her energy in a positive direction and not getting upset with the negative plays,” Mitchell said. “She’s always been a player who gave a lot of effort.  Just at times when she would get down on herself the effort would drop. She’s much more consistent now.”Over the last two Southeastern Conference games Watkins has averaged 12.5 points per game and a team-high 6.0 rebounds. Against South Carolina, on a night when few of her teammates brought their intensity, Watkins came off the bench to score 10 points, grab five rebounds and snag a team-high-tying three steals in 19 minutes of action. In the win over Alabama on Sunday, Watkins recorded 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.”She was very important for us last week,” Mitchell said. “One thing she did is she showed a consistent effort on a night (at South Carolina) when not a lot of people were doing that. It gave me an opportunity to have an example of what you should be doing. She practiced extremely hard trying to get ready for the Alabama game, setting a great example for ourteam. I thought her leadership was key in our play on Sunday.”Before the season started, Watkins didn’t know if she would even have a role on the team, much less a leadership position. With nearly a year’s absence, new players coming in and a new system, it was hard to envision what her role would be with this year’s team.”I was kind of nervous,” Watkins said. “Having to sit out and knowing I was going to be so far behind everyone, I knew that I would have to work. When I came back after having my son I tried to work hard every single day. Whatever coach wanted me to do I did.”Her work ethic has paid off. Despite late nights staying up with her son, and balancing class and her child, she’s becomes the self-described “energy player” off the bench, spelling key minutes for junior forward Victoria Dunlap and offering critical depth at a thin position. “I am constantly going,” Watkins said. “There is never a break. If I get tired I just think about (Jaylen). He basically keeps me going just to be able to go home and see him.”Watkins has embraced the role of the team energizer.”Me being a senior, this is my last go around, so every game I try to bring it,” said Watkins who is averaging 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. “I try to bring the energy to the team. Wherever we’re lacking, that’s where I try to pick us up at. I know I’m not the leading scorer or the leading player on this team, but the little things I do helps this team a lot.”Although Watkins has become more dedicated on the court, she’s realized there are bigger things off it. The last year has redefined her life and helped her focus on her future.Watkins hopes to graduate this year and move on to Eastern Kentucky University next year so she can get her master’s degree in juvenile justice. After that she hopes to become a probation officer and take care of her son.With everything Watkins has been through in the past year, there is little doubt she’ll persevere. “All of the things I’ve been through from the back surgery to having him, a lot of things have come into place,” Watkins said. “Things have worked out well. I sit back and think about things sometimes and I’m just like, ‘I’m still going hard.’ “