Sophomore forward Chloe Kitts joined the South Carolina women's basketball team just 10 games into its 2022-23 season. Kitts, a freshman at the time, would then appear in 18 games off the bench for the Gamecocks, playing for only a total of 124 minutes.
But a year later, she has found herself serving a larger role for the Gamecocks, helping to fill big shoes that were left when South Carolina lost all five of its starters at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Now, Kitts has started in all five of South Carolina’s games so far for the 2023-24 season.
Kitts averaged 1.6 points in the 2022-23 season and had a season high of 10 points and seven rebounds in her debut against Charleston Southern.
But for 2023-24, she has amassed 48 points across just five games and has already surpassed her first season's total of 29 points.
“(Staley) just keeps fulfilling me with confidence, and I knew my time was going to come eventually,” Kitts said. “I've just got to put that work in.”
Kitts has hit the ground running to start the new campaign, shooting .529 from the field and averaging 9.6 points. Kitts has also gathered 27 rebounds and come away with six blocks.
Her performance in preseason practice and the season opener exhibition game helped Kitts get the nod to start over junior forward Sania Feagin who is averaging 8.8 points.
“She’s been steadily getting good at what she does. I think the summer was a good summer for her,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “I thought postseason was a good time for her to really understand what she wanted, and she had her eye on the USA Basketball team.”
Kitts played in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup on USA Basketball’s team this past summer. She averaged 10.7 points and eight rebounds throughout seven games in Madrid for Team USA.
The United States won gold, and Kitts put together a difference-making performance. She scored 15 points and had nine rebounds in the championship game.
“She had an eye on starting, and that was her focus,” Staley said. “She worked on her shot, her confidence, her ability to make the right basketball decision. And she put herself in position to start for Joni Taylor’s team on the U19, and then she brought that mentality back.”
But Kitts has impressed the team since she arrived at South Carolina.
Then senior guard Zia Cooke said she noticed Kitts' smooth transition to the collegiate level when Kitts joined the team in December 2022 after graduating from DME Academy a semester early.
“I’m super, super surprised,” Cooke said shortly after Kitts joined the program. “When she’s out there, she’s asking questions. She’s even knowing the answers to some things I didn’t even know my freshman year, so that just shows that she’s really locked into basketball."
South Carolina opened its season in October with an exhibition game against Rutgers. Kitts did not start the game but had 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks coming off the bench. She has started every game since then.
“She got back to doing the little things,” Staley said. “Now she’s doing the little things and finding spots in our offense to score the ball, so she’s creating great balance with what she’s doing.”
Kitts played a season-high 20 minutes against then No. 14 Maryland in the second game of this season. She scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards. Only senior guard Te-Hina Paopao outscored Kitts during the game against Maryland with 14 points.
For the rest of the season, Kitts said she and and the team are focused on playing as a team and not getting comfortable in their success.
“We all have a lot of confidence in our team right now,” Kitts said. “You see us out there. We’re just having so much fun. We’re playing so well together, and we already feel like we deserve what we’re going to get — what’s ahead of us.”
Kitts and the Gamecocks are 5-0 and will look to continue their undefeated season when they face No. 24 North Carolina Thursday in Chapel Hill. The game is at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN.