South Carolina Women’s Basketball Team Down Two Key Players

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by ERIN PARROTT

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As it prepares for another highly anticipated season, South Carolina’s women’s basketball program is facing early adversity after learning that two of its top forwards will miss the entire 2025-2026 campaign due to knee injuries.

Last season, South Carolina lost forward Ashlyn Watkins to an ACL injury sustained during a January win over Mississippi State – an injury that ended her junior campaign early and will keep her sidelined for the entire 2025-2026 season as she continues her recovery.

Prior to her injury, Watkins had already missed South Carolina’s season opener in November after being suspended in connection with an August 2024 arrest on assault, battery and kidnapping charges – which were later dismissed.

After returning from her suspension, Watkins averaged 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds across 14 games for the Gamecocks – who advanced to the national championship game for the third time in four years, falling 82-59 to UConn on April 6, 2025.

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Meanwhile, senior forward Chloe Kitts announced on Monday (October 13, 2025) that she will also miss the entire upcoming season after tearing her right ACL, with her surgery scheduled for later this week.

Kitts was projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft after averaging 10.2 points, a team-high 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists last season – playing a pivotal role in South Carolina’s run to a third consecutive SEC championship and fifth straight trip to the Final Four.

“We hate this first for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season,” said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. “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.”

We got you Chloe ??https://t.co/xXVkoF5C6R https://t.co/rAP2eV1T80

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) October 13, 2025

Kitts notched a 16-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against Ole Miss in February and went on to earn SEC Tournament and NCAA Birmingham Regional MVP honors – while also being recognized as an honorable mention All-American by both the AP and USBWA.

Originally part of the 2023 recruiting class, Kitts enrolled early and joined the Gamecocks in December 2022, seeing limited action as a freshman before stepping into a starting role her sophomore year. The 6-foot-2 senior from Oviedo, Florida, was instrumental in leading South Carolina to its 2024 national championship victory over Iowa – and No. 1 overall 2024 WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark – averaging 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds while recording a double-double in the title game.

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With Kitts sidelined for the season, sophomore Joyce Edwards is expected to step into the starting forward role after leading South Carolina in scoring last year, averaging 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Last season, Edwards faced challenges in the NCAA Tournament as opposing defenses keyed in on her, but she bounced back with a double-double performance against Texas in the national semifinal – earning All-Final Four honors, a first-team All-SEC selection and honorable mention All-America recognition.

Joining Edwards in South Carolina’s revamped lineup is Florida State transfer guard Ta’Niya Latson – the nation’s leading scorer last season, a 2025 All-America Second Team honoree and a three-time All-ACC First Team selection during her standout career in Tallahassee.

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A 44.8 percent career shooter, Latson has averaged 22.5 points per game and scored in double figures in 86 of her 93 collegiate appearances. She will anchor the Gamecocks’ backcourt alongside veteran point guard Raven Johnson, who ranks among the program’s all-time top ten in assists. Junior guard Tessa Johnson is also expected to play a key role after averaging a career-best 8.4 points per game and hitting 43.0 percent from three-point range last season.

Staley also strengthened her frontcourt through the transfer portal with the addition of senior center Madina Okot, who led the SEC in field goal percentage (.649) and ranked fourth in rebounding (9.6 rebounds per game) at Mississippi State. Adding to South Carolina’s depth, a pair of top-15 freshmen – Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell – both McDonald’s All-Americans, round out one of the nation’s most talented incoming classes.

Reigning SEC regular-season and tournament champion South Carolina will host an exhibition game against Anderson on October 24, 2025 with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. EDT. at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. The regular season tips off early next month with a November 3, 2025 game against Grand Canyon University.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.

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