GREENVILLE, S.C. — Chloe Kitts was incredibly honest when answering one question during South Carolina’s postgame press conference on Friday after beating Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, much to Dawn Staley’s chagrin.
Kitts, a junior for the Gamecocks, was asked about her fourth quarter performance against the Commodores, where she piled up buckets on her way to scoring a career-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
She answered, and then awkwardness and hilarity ensued.
KITTS: “I was just going out there and playing confident. My coaches, and the point guard, kept saying ‘14,’ which is kind of get the ball to me. I just delivered. I was just going out there.”
STALEY: “Thanks.”
KITTS: “What?”
STALEY: “You just told them our play.”
KITTS: “Sorry.”
But if Oklahoma — South Carolina’s opponent on Saturday in the SEC semifinals — was listening, it never showed.
South Carolina put the hammer down on the Sooners, winning 93-75 to advance to the SEC Tournament title game for the sixth consecutive season. And Kitts again played pretty well, stacking up 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal in just 17 minutes of action. And her defense was crucial in slowing down Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers, an All-American who finished with just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Kitts is having her best season yet in a South Carolina uniform, averaging 10 points, 7.8 rebounds and two assists per game. Despite her press conference slip-up, Staley heaped praise on the 6-foot-2 forward from Florida.
“I mean, this is really who Chloe is. She’s starting to play very consistent basketball. She wants the ball in her hands. She wants to be a play-maker. She wants to be the one that can score it or dish it to a teammate… Chloe is strong enough mentally, physically to be able to handle the rigors of this league.”
Kitts’ performance — and her newfound consistency — is another example of how deep the Gamecocks are. The roster is full of talented players and she’s beginning to standout as March Madness approaches. In her last six games, she’s averaging 12.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 63.2 percent from the floor.
And her funny moment in the press conference, and the game that followed it, is another reminder that South Carolina is a legitimate contender for the national championship once again. And even when the Gamecocks are accidentally giving away their play calls, they’re still difficult to beat.
