COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball star forward Chloe Kitts will return for the 2026-27 season, coach Dawn Staley said Feb. 25.
Keates suffered a torn ACL in September, and it’s unclear whether she will play on South Carolina’s senior night.
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“Chloe will be back next year,” Staley said. “I think she said that on Instagram. Right? Well, as far as I know (she will be back). The transfer portal is not open yet.”
Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, Maryam Dauda and Madina Okot will celebrate in their final regular-season home game as the No. 3 Gamecocks (27-2, 13-1) host Missouri State (16-13, 4-10) on Feb. 26 (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Keatts is eligible for the 2026 WNBA Draft but can use a redshirt season this year and return next season.
Prior to her injury, Keates had three outstanding seasons for Staley, including a career start as a junior in 2024-25, when she averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
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Keatts started the past two seasons for South Carolina before being injured and won the 2025 SEC Tournament MVP.
She graduated high school early and joined the team midway through the 2022-23 season. This season will be her last year of draft eligibility and she is expected to be a high pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Chloe Kitts stats
As a junior, Keates averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. She averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore and 1.6 points and rebounds per game as a freshman.
In conference play, she averaged 10.6 points and 7.9 rebounds as a junior, a career-best performance in SEC play.
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She averaged 10.6 points in the NCAA Tournament last year, scoring 15 points in the Sweet 16 and 14 points in the Elite Eight.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina track and field for the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network. Email her: LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@luluxin and blue sky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared in The Greenville News: South Carolina basketball star Chloe Kitts will return, Dwayne Staley says
