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South Carolina star Chloe Kitts to return next season after ACL tear, Dawn Staley confirms
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- South Carolina star Chloe Kitts to return next season after ACL tear, Dawn Staley confirms
COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball star forward Chloe Kitts will return for the 2026-27 season, coach Dawn Staley said on Feb. 25.
Kitts, who is 6-foot-2, tore her ACL in September and will miss all of the 2025-26 season. It was unclear whether she would return next season or enter the 2026 WNBA Draft.
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"Chloe will come back next year," Staley said. "I think she said that on Instagram. Right? Well, as far as I know (she's coming back). Transfer portal isn't open yet."
Kitts has not announced her return on Instagram. Staley may have been referring to the initial post Kitts made when announcing her injury when she wrote "big things ahead."
What's next for Chloe Kitts at South Carolina
The No. 3 Gamecocks (27-2, 13-1) host Missouri (16-13, 4-10) on Feb. 26 (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network), and Raven Johnson, Ta'Niya Latson, Maryam Dauda and Madina Okot will celebrate their final regular-season home game.
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Kitts will not be a part of that. She can use a redshirt season this year and return next year for one final season of eligibility.
Before the injury, Kitts had three strong seasons for Staley, including a career year in 2024-25 as a junior when she averaged 10.2 points per game and a team-high 7.7 rebounds.
Kitts started the past two seasons for South Carolina before her injury and won the 2025 SEC Tournament MVP.
She graduated high school early and joined the team midway through the 2022-23 season. This season would have been her final year of eligibility and she was on pace to be a high draft pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
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Kitts hasn't been available for media interviews this season because of her injury.
Is Ashlyn Watkins returning to South Carolina next year?
Ashlyn Watkins, a 6-foot-3 forward, was going to be a senior this year as well, returning from an ACL tear that she suffered in January 2025, but she took the entire year off of basketball and school.
In her announcement post from July, she said she planned on returning in 2026-27.
Staley was asked if she has any indication on if Watkins will be back or if she is still giving space as she took the entire year off.
"I mean, Ashlyn took the year off so she'll come back when the year's up and that's sometime in May," Staley said.
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Who will play for South Carolina, Dawn Staley in 2026-27?
Though returning Kitts is a massive win, Staley is losing significant pieces but mainly in terms of guards. Her starting point guard Johnson is out of eligibility and will look to the WNBA draft, as will Latson, who transferred from Florida State for one season.
Okot, a 6-foot-6 center, is a senior but Staley said they will apply for more eligibility as this is only Okot's second season playing in the United States.
South Carolina will also lose 6-4 forward Maryam Dauda, who is a senior.
The Gamecocks' incoming class includes Jerzy Robinson, Kaeli Wynn and Kelsi Andrews, the latter two signed in November with Robinson expected to sign in the spring. Wynn is a 6-2 forward, with Andrews 6-3.
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So now Staley's frontcourt is gearing up to be 6-3 Joyce Edwards, who averages 20.2 points per game as a sophomore, Kitts, Watkins, Adhel Tac who is 6-5, Alicia Tournebize, who is 6-7, and the two incoming freshman forwards.
Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds as a sophomore, her best year out of the 2.5 season's she's played for South Carolina.
Even if Okot gets another year of eligibility, she might decide to go to the WNBA. She was listed as the No. 10 overall pick in the first round in ESPN's mock draft from Feb. 13. If she returns, that will add a huge piece to what's shaping up to be a dynamic front court.
Chloe Kitts stats
As a junior Kitts averaged 10.2 points per game and a team-high 7.7 rebounds. Her sophomore year she averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds after a freshman season where she averaged 1.6 points and rebounds.
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In conference play, she was averaging 10.6 points and 7.9 rebounds as a junior, a career-best for SEC games.
She averaged 10.6 points in the NCAA Tournament last year, with 15 and 14 points in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com . Follow her on X @Lulukesin and Bluesky @bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Chloe Kitts, South Carolina basketball star to return, Dawn Staley says
