{"id":501593,"date":"2026-02-26T21:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/501593\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T21:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:00:14","slug":"chloe-kitts-acl-comeback-and-her-wnba-draft-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/501593\/","title":{"rendered":"Chloe Kitts\u2019 ACL Comeback and Her WNBA Draft Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated6 min read<\/p>\n

Chloe Kitts had a vision for the year 2026: She\u2019d lead the South Carolina Gamecocks<\/a> on a magical March Madness run to close out her senior year of college, become a first-round pick in the WNBA Draft<\/a>, and start her professional basketball career at the top of her game.<\/p>\n

It all changed in October 2025 when the forward tore her ACL in a scrimmage before her senior season even began. She jumped up for a rebound with no one around her and heard a pop. \u201cImmediately, I already knew what happened,\u201d she recounts to Women\u2019s Health. \u201cI was like, \u2018Dang.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruled out for the season, she also knew early on that her plans for the future would have to change. Now, she\u2019s ready to share them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m going to stay in college for another year,\u201d she says, ending speculation about whether she\u2019d still declare for the WNBA Draft. \u201cI have more I need to prove.\u201d<\/p>\n

Road to Recovery<\/p>\n

Chloe\u2019s injury and subsequent knee surgery took her about a month to really accept. \u201cI couldn’t walk. I couldn’t do anything,\u201d she says. She was heartbroken that she wouldn\u2019t recover in time for WNBA training camp in the spring. \u201cIt sucked. But all my teammates were here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They brought her a gift basket of Lego flowers, junk food, candles, and a card with handwritten messages. Her roommate, junior guard Tessa Johnson, helped her shower and drove her anywhere she needed to go. Sophomore forward Adhel Tac cleaned her apartment. \u201cWe’re really close as a team,\u201d Chloe says.<\/p>\n

She realized she couldn\u2019t go back and un-injure herself, so she chose to pivot to positivity. She began celebrating smaller wins, like the first time she could walk without crutches. \u201cNow I’m jumping a little bit,\u201d she says. \u201cThe day I can run, that’s super exciting. I’m looking forward to all those little things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her recovery process is a consistent, always-on journey. Whenever the Gamecocks are at practice, Chloe\u2019s in the training room doing rehab or lifting. <\/p>\n

Chloe still travels to every away game, stepping into a leadership role and pouring energy back into her teammates. She\u2019s started to see the game from a new perspective sitting on the sidelines. \u201cThe pace of the game has slowed down in my head,\u201d she says. \u201cI see so much more than when I’m on the floor\u2014maybe the open person or the next rotation. I see it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning the Page<\/p>\n

Chloe found basketball through her dad, Jason, who played in an adult league. He\u2019d bring Chloe and her younger sister Kylee, who now plays for Ohio State, to his games. \u201cWe’d run around on the sidelines, and that’s how the ball got put into my hands,\u201d Chloe says. \u201cI just started playing and started loving it.\u201d
<\/p>\n

The Seattle native rooted for the Storm growing up and dreamed of playing professionally. \u201cI used to tell people I was going to be the first woman in the NBA,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

A five-star recruit in the 2023 class, Chloe received offers from top college programs like Duke, Louisville, and N.C. State. She chose the Gamecocks, foregoing her senior year of high school and enrolling early. Head Coach Dawn Staley<\/a> was the difference maker; the two really connected on Chloe\u2019s official visit.<\/p>\n

\"south<\/p>\n

Eakin Howard\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cShe produces pros, and I want to be a pro,\u201d Chloe says. \u201cShe\u2019s not just my coach, she’s a mentor\u2014not just for me, but for everybody. All of the girls, we can go to her about our personal life, we go to her for basketball. And she’s accomplished everything that I want to accomplish. There’s no better place I would rather be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best advice Coach has given her? \u201cTurn the page,\u201d Chloe says. That\u2019s stuck with her when she\u2019s had to play through a rough streak of games, and now as she rehabs her knee. \u201cI\u2019m moving on to the next, not just staying in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Refining Her Mental Edge<\/p>\n

Taking time off has allowed Chloe to focus more on the mental side of basketball, which she admits she struggled with in her first few years at South Carolina. Before games, her palms would sweat, the nerves would take over, and it took some time for her to settle in on the court. \u201cI needed to relax, I just couldn\u2019t,\u201d she says. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Staley recommended she see a sports psychiatrist and helped her connect with one. Chloe went once a week. She gathered helpful tools to deploy in the locker room, like writing down what\u2019s going through her mind, counting 10 breaths, and even coloring. She also began to lean into interests outside of her sport.<\/p>\n

\"ncaa<\/p>\n

C. Morgan Engel\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned you can’t just have your life revolve around basketball,\u201d she says. \u201cBecause if it’s just basketball, basketball, basketball, and you just think about basketball\u2014if you don’t play good, then you’re just sad.\u201d She discovered Pilates, started going on walks, and thought about who she is beyond an athlete.<\/p>\n

Halfway through her junior year, her game noticeably improved. By the end of the season, she was playing her best basketball yet, setting SEC Tournament scoring records and leading team stats through March Madness.<\/p>\n

Her mental game was especially clutch in the Elite Eight against Duke, when Coach Staley drew up a play that would result in Chloe shooting two important free throws. \u201cI don’t know why, because I felt like [Te-Hina Paopao] and Tess were better free throw shooters than me,\u201d she says. \u201cBut then I was at the free throw line telling myself, \u2018Coach chose me for a reason. I’m good at basketball.\u2019 And then I made both of my free throws and we won.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that she\u2019s not playing, Chloe also sees a therapist. Talking to professionals has given her a better understanding of how she\u2019s feeling day to day. And she allows herself to lean on her team on down days. \u201cMy teammates notice that, and they’ve always been like, \u2018It’s okay.\u2019 We always talk to each other,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd if I’m feeling some type of way, then I go tell my trainer or Coach how I feel, and they help with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ncaaGreg Fiume\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Shooting free throws against Duke in the Elite Eight.<\/p>\n

Chloe is grateful for the extra time to work on this \u201cvery overlooked\u201d part of the game. \u201cYou can be physically strong, but that [means] nothing if your mental isn’t strong,\u201d she says. \u201cIt really takes all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leveling Up<\/p>\n

Chloe believes starting Pilates four times per week last summer and adding in extra strength sessions before her injury has put her on a speedy path to physical recovery. She says she\u2019s already three months ahead of schedule and will \u201cfor sure\u201d be ready to play at the start of next season.<\/p>\n

Her big-picture goals get her out of bed every day. \u201cI want to be a professional basketball player. I want to play in the WNBA. So of course that’s what motivates me,\u201d she says. She\u2019s never not played basketball for this long before, and it\u2019s made her rethink the days she didn\u2019t want to go to practice. \u201cI want to play so bad that I know when I play again, I’m not going to take it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

And the genuine friendships made on Coach Staley\u2019s team make everything feel a bit lighter. \u201cI feel like a lot of teams don’t have that much fun. We have a lot of fun. We joke around a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen it’s serious, we\u2019re serious. But it’s nice not always having to be serious.\u201d <\/p>\n

They\u2019ve all known for a while that she\u2019ll be staying at South Carolina. \u201cI want to be at this school with my team and playing for Coach one more year. I love being here,\u201d she says. \u201cI know staying another year will just get me better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chloe\u2019s vision for the end of her college career still includes South Carolina making it to the National Championship and winning it all, but it\u2019s also growing into the best teammate and leader she can be. \u201cI\u2019m more than a basketball player,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m Chloe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Amanda Lucci is the director of special projects at Women\u2019s Health, where she works on multi-platform brand initiatives and social media strategy. She also leads the sports and athletes vertical, traveling to cover the Paris Olympics, Women\u2019s World Cup, WNBA Finals, and NCAA Final Four for WH. She has nearly 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing social media for national and international publications and is also a NASM-certified personal trainer. A proud native of Pittsburgh, PA, she is a graduate of Ohio University\u2019s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Follow her on Instagram @alucci. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"6 min read Chloe Kitts had a vision for the year 2026: She\u2019d lead the South Carolina Gamecocks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,200411,2910,200410,784,1642,200409,82,630],"class_list":["post-501593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-collection-sports-athletes","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-20208273-5a26-481a-8ef1-e531a8ae91f8","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-locale-us","tag-shorttitle-chloe-kitts-is-coming-back-to-south-carolina","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}