South Carolina women’s basketball forward Chloe Kitts will be out of action during the 2025-26 season. Kitts has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in her right knee, and she is expected to undergo a surgery this week. According to a spokesperson of the program, the injury occurred during a recent practice session.
Announcing the injury, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said in a statement, “We hate this first for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season. Her teammates are capable of stepping up, and I know that her competitive fire and tenacity will be felt from the sidelines as she pours what she can into them to ensure our team’s success.”
The 21-year-old has been a starter for the Gamecocks in the past two seasons. She guided the team to back-to-back national title game appearances, including the 2024 National Championship. Last season. She was named the Southeastern Conference Tournament MVP as well as NCAA Binghamton Regionals MVP. Her injury comes off as a significant blow for USC who lost Ashlyn Watkins with an ACL tear in January, and later announced that she was taking a year off from school and basketball.
The Gamecocks senior released an official statement and thanked her fans and followers for their support after being sidelined for the entire season. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and support,” Kitts, a projected first-round WNBA draft pick, wrote on X. “While this isn’t how I expected my senior season would go, I’m trusting God’s timing and purpose. I’ll continue to lead, support and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead!”
Notably, Kitts is the team’s most experienced player with a total of 93 games, including 69 starts. Since her college debut, her performance has improved gradually over seasons. After finishing her sophomore season with 9.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, she averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in her junior season. Kitts scored in double figures in four of the USC’s six NCAA tournament games in 2025.
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