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Chloe Kitts will spend the 2025-26 WNBA season on the sidelines as the Gamecocks star tore the ACL in her right knee during a team practice session. She is scheduled for surgery later this week and will be in rehab afterward.
Kitts was making a name for herself in the college basketball world and was projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 WNBA draft. Unfortunately, Kitts might have to putt her draft dreams on hold for a while.
According to ESPN's Michael Voepel, Kitts is eligible to declare for the WNBA draft next spring.
"Kitts has been projected to be a first-round WNBA draft pick next spring. She could still enter the draft or opt to return for another college season," Voepel wrote in an article on Monday.
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However, the Gamecocks' star might seek the medical redshirt and return to college for another season after recovering. Chloe Kitts has been a key part of the Dawn Staley-coached Gamecocks squad in recent years.
She earned a starting spot on the squad from her junior year, where she averaged 9.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 54.4% shooting from the field. She helped the Gamecocks secure the 2024 NCAA championship by defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes.
She improved her game in her senior year, and averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 52.0% shooting from the field. However, in the 2024-25 season, the Gamecocks failed to defend their championship as Paige Bueckers-led UConn Huskies won the tournament.
Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley shares heartfelt message on Chloe Kitts' season-ending injury
The South Carolina Gamecocks announced Chloe Kitts' injury through a press release on Monday. In the release, legendary NCAA coach Dawn Staley shared a heartfelt message on one of her best players' tragic injuries.
"We hate this first for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season,” Staley said. “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."
South Carolina has lost almost all of their starting players from its 2024-25 season. Te-Hina Pao Pao, Sania Feagin, and Bree Hall left the team after they were drafted in the 2025 WNBA draft.
MiLaysia Fulwiley transferred to LSU at the start of the season, and now Chloe Kitts is out for the season. Staley now has no choice but to figure out a new strategy and trust the younger players on her team.
