Chloe Kitts' dad, Jason Kitts, claims South Carolina star 'needed to struggle' during freshman year under Dawn Staley

South Carolina star Chloe Kitts was one of the driving forces behind the Gamecocks winning the SEC Tournament title and reaching the national championship game which they lost to the UConn Huskies. Kitts, who had been a reliable contributor for coach Dawn Staley's team before last season, became a key cog with her minutes (22.4) increasing last season.

Kitts averaged only 6.9 minutes per game during her freshman season in the 2022-2023 season which rose to 18.6 minutes during her sophomore year. During Thursday's segment of "The Coop" podcast, the talented forward's father, Jason Kitts was blunt about his daughter's struggles for game time as a freshman under Staley.

"The biggest part was Chloe just needed to struggle," Jason Kitts said. "She's never struggled, like most of the kids that are around these programs. You know, everybody tells them how great they are for so long, and so it was good for her to be able to come and sit. She had to sit, right?

"She had to sit behind bona fide pros, and she had to learn. And she was not happy, and she was pissed, and she just couldn't handle it. But now you look at it, and it was part of the process. She didn't realize it then, but I think now as she continues to evolve from a mental state of things, now I think she knows why we did it."

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When Dawn Staley celebrated Chloe Kitts' growth

Last season, Chloe Kitts came into her own and she averaged 10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 1.9 apg for the Gamecocks. After Dawn Staley's team beat the No. 8 ranked Duke Blue Devils in December, the South Carolina coach broke down Kitts' growth as a player during her postgame news conference.

"Chloe Kitts wants it bad, you know. Sometimes it works for her, and sometimes against her," Staley said via SI.com. "Basically yesterday... she's telling me I don't believe in her. Like, where did you get that from? Part of it is, you can look at the minutes, and her minutes decreased over Thanksgiving... She did take some bad shots over Thanksgiving, and I took her out because of it.

"I'm happy because Chloe pours into herself. She does all the right things in regards to prepping herself... making lifestyle changes, in order for her to play this way. She wants to be a pro, so she's active in doing things and creating habits that will help her," she added.

Alongside Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts will once again be one of South Carolina's leaders next season as the Gamecocks aim to reclaim their national title.