Chloe Kitts available for No. 1 South Carolina after sitting out a game due to academic suspension

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts will be available to play Thursday after missing the top-ranked Gamecocks last game due to an academic suspension.

Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said everyone, including Kitts, would be ready to play when the team opens its home season against Coppin State on Thursday night.

Kitts was held out of South Carolina's 71-57 victory over then-No. 9 N.C. State in Charlotte this past Sunday due to what the team said was an “academic policy issue.”

Staley said in a statement released this past Sunday that Kitts has made strides athletically and academically. While she could not play against the Wolfpack, “we're incredibly proud of her progress,” Staley said.

Kitts is a 6-foot-2 junior forward from Oviedo, Florida, who averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in South Carolina's 38-0 national championship season a year ago.

Kitts started the team's season-opening 68-62 win over Michigan in Las Vegas on Nov. 4, leading the Gamecocks with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

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