South Carolina women’s basketball star announces season-ending knee injury
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South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball reached the national championship game for the third time in 4 seasons last March. They’re set to embark on a trip back to that stage 3 weeks from Monday. Unfortunately, they’re going to proceed on said journey without one of their star players.
On Monday morning, South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts announced she will miss the 2025-26 campaign with a torn ACL.
Kitts, a senior from Oviedo, FL, averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25. Her absence puts more pressure on sophomore forward Joyce Edwards and Mississippi State transfer Madina Okot on the Gamecocks’ interior. Guards Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson will have more on their shoulders as well.
South Carolina went 35-4 last season. Head coach Dawn Staley’s only losses — to UCLA, Texas and UCONN — came to teams ranked No. 7 or higher in the AP poll. Over the past 4 years, the Gamecocks are 144-7 with 4 Final Four appearances and 2 national titles. With nearly a month to adjust to this news, she could still have South Carolina looking like a championship contender when they match up with USC, Texas and others, in late November and early December.
The Gamecocks kick off their season versus Grand Canyon on Nov. 3 (7:00 p.m. E.T., SEC Network+).
