Monday, Nov. 2 marked a long-awaited moment for South Carolina women’s basketball. Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins, each sidelined for more than a year, finally stepped back onto the court in the Gamecocks’ season opener against Maryland in Paris, France. With the game getting tighter than anyone expected, head coach Dawn Staley needed her veteran frontcourt.
Contributions in a Wild Opener
South Carolina built a 31-point lead before nearly letting it slip away, eventually escaping with a 101-93 victory. Kitts drew the start and finished with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block over 19 minutes. Watkins came off the bench and produced seven points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 21 minutes.
The two left their fingerprints on the team leaderboard. Watkins paced the Gamecocks on the glass, and Kitts shared the team lead in assists with Tessa Johnson.
Two Long Roads Back
Neither player appeared for South Carolina last season, a year in which the team still reached its sixth straight Final Four. Their absence came from different circumstances. Kitts missed the entire campaign after tearing the ACL in her right knee during an October 2025 practice. Watkins had suffered her own ACL injury late in the 2024-25 season and then chose to step away from the program, announcing that she would “focus on myself, my community, my faith, and my family.”
Now both are back in the mix for a Gamecocks team ranked No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports’ preseason Coaches Poll. Their return gives South Carolina added depth up front as it chases another trip to the Final Four, a streak that is currently the longest active run in the sport.
Kitts’ Résumé
Kitts was a starter as a sophomore on South Carolina’s 2024 national championship team. In 2024-25, she earned SEC Tournament MVP honors, averaging 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, three assists and a steal per game during the Gamecocks’ commanding run through the event.
Staley spoke glowingly about Kitts’ work ethic at SEC Media Day.
“Chloe has been very consistent with working hard. You don’t really have to worry about her getting in what she needs to get in. Actually, she’s almost obsessive with it to where you just have to say, ‘Hey, take a day off,'” Staley said of Kitts at SEC Media Day. “I think Chloe just wants it. She wants it now. She wants to be in the WNBA now because she put the work in, and when you put the type of work that she puts in, the expectation is to be there.”
Watkins’ Résumé
Watkins was equally important to the Gamecocks’ most recent title run. In the Final Four win over NC State, she set a program record with 15 defensive rebounds. That season she earned All-SEC recognition and led the conference with 91 blocked shots.
What’s Next
South Carolina returns to American soil on Sunday, Nov. 8, taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte as part of the Ally Tip-Off.
Bottom Line
Getting Kitts and Watkins back is the kind of boost that doesn’t show up fully in a box score. Both are recovering from lengthy layoffs and still produced meaningful minutes against a ranked opponent, and both bring championship-level experience to a team that spent part of Monday’s second half looking for stability. If their conditioning and chemistry continue to improve, South Carolina’s frontcourt could become one of its biggest strengths, and a major reason the Gamecocks remain the favorites to keep their Final Four streak alive.
