Chloe Kitts' return makes Dawn Staley's South Carolina team that much harder to defend

COLUMBIA — Chloe Kitts put together an impressive junior year, and there were expectations for even better things as a South Carolina women's basketball senior.

When she tore her ACL on a rebound in practice last October, every bit of progress she made took a hard turn.

The 6-foot-2 forward brought intangibles coach Dawn Staley savored. She made hustle plays, rebounded and she worked hard in her free time - best represented by lifting on game days when it wasn't mandatory.

The Gamecocks still made it to a second straight national championship game without Kitts, but part of what makes her so special is her mid-range magic, an area where South Carolina's post players didn't find much success last season.

Chloe Kitts brings mid-range jumper back for South Carolina

In 2024-25, Kitts shot 36.5% from mid-range, which was 3.2% above the Division I average, according to CBB Analytics.

This past season Joyce Edwards led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game but was 30.4% from mid-range. Madina Okot averaged 12.8 points and shot 44.8% from the 3-point line but struggled from that mid-range spot at 18.4%.

In the 79-51 loss to UCLA in the national championship, South Carolina shot 20% from mid-range. While the Gamecocks weren't necessarily strong at any location that day, shooting 29% overall, the lack of mid-range scoring didn't help.

With UCLA's 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts in the paint, the Gamecocks could have created more around the elbows rather than trying to force the ball through traffic. They took 10 total shots from just inside the 3-point line.

Now that Kitts returns, she brings that mid-range shooting threat that doesn't just potentially punish defenses but spreads out the offense, especially with Edwards still looking to find success at the rim. The farther out Kitts plays, the better the high-low action can be and prevents double-teams that clog the paint.

How Chloe Kitts fits back into South Carolina offense

Kitts can also shoot in the paint and dominate on the block. She was 52.5% in the paint on shots that weren't at the rim, which was 14.4% above the DI average. At the rim she shot 62.3%, which was 5% higher than the average.

Her offensive versatility works well with this roster Staley has assembled, which features eight post players. No one is a true center but all can play there, giving South Carolina the flexibility to utilize different combos without restrictions, especially since Kitts also developed her 3-point shot her junior year.

Staley could go with a tall lineup that puts Kitts at the wing spot with any combination of posts inside. But it's likely she'll take her starting spot back, playing with Edwards and 3-point phenom Tessa Johnson.

Edwards took 49.6% of her total shots last year at the rim, finishing 72.7% of them, and Johnson was 48.2% from behind the arc, nearly 18% better than the average.

Kitts' presence adds a much-needed and impactful third layer in the starting lineup.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Chloe Kitts' return makes Dawn Staley's South Carolina team that much harder to defend