Kitts commits: 5-star senior forward picks Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks
Five-star forward Chloe Kitts announced her commitment Friday to the South Carolina women’s basketball team for the Class of 2023.
She also indicated she will join the Gamecocks earlier than most recruits do.
“I would like to announce that I’ll be forgoing my senior season, and enrolling to help advance my athletic and academic career,” Kitts wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to all my friends and family for fully supporting my decision.”
The early signing period for basketball begins Wednesday.
A basketball recruit enrolling in January is unusual but not unprecedented. The USC men’s basketball team signed Tre-Vaughn Minott and he joined the roster during the 2020-21 season. In Minott’s case, however, his commitment and enrollment both came in January 2021.
The 6-foot-2 Kitts chose the Gamecocks over a top group that included Arizona, Louisville, Duke, N.C. State and Oklahoma. She took an official visit to USC on the weekend of Sept. 24.
Kitts is ranked as the No. 17 player on ESPN’s HoopGurlz list. She currently attends Faith Christian Academy in Orlando but played her sophomore and junior seasons at DME Academy in Daytona Beach. She averaged 18.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a junior.
She also competed with the gold medal-winning 2022 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team. Kitts played 16.2 minutes per game over six games and averaged 7.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and two steals.
She joins Sahnya Jah and Tessa Johnson as the other 2023 commitments for South Carolina. The team is still in pursuit of hometown recruit Milaysia Fulwiley from Keenan High — she will announce her decision on Thursday.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 1:10 PM.