Dawn Staley always finds a way to build a dominant squad. But this season, she finally had the perfect pieces to make a championship run. But Chloe Kitts’ ACL tear-and players leaving for W, seemed to take that chance away. At least, that’s what it looked like at first glance. But seven games in, and Joyce Edwards had filled the void. She did it so well that even Staley couldn’t help but shower her with praise.

Kitts wasn’t just another starter; she was South Carolina’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder last season, averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 boards while winning SEC Tournament MVP and helping them reach the 2025 national title game against UConn. Combine that with three starters taken in the 2025 WNBA Draft, and it looked like Staley’s frontcourt identity had been ripped out

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