Chloe Kitts joins Dawn Staley and South Carolina Gamecocks in St. Jude’s fight against childhood cancer

The South Carolina Gamecocks are set to play a charity game against the Memphis Tigers on Tuesday. The proceeds from the tip-off will be to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

To support the cause, Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts shared the link for the donation page created by the South Carolina program. With a goal of $15,000, the contributions stand at $13,510 at the time of publishing the article.

Chloe Kitts Instagram Story (Credit: Instagram/@chloe.kitts)

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had previously expressed her excitement for the game between the Gamecocks and Tigers.

“The people showed me so much love that I’m really looking forward to it,” she said (via Memphis Commercial Appeal). “And, then, we’re going to do whatever we need to do to raise awareness for St. Jude."

"We’re going to have an opportunity to meet the decision-makers at St. Jude that help put this all on, which is great, because it doesn’t happen without their innovative thinking. To be able to make it public and help benefit the families and the children and the research from us just bouncing a basketball. I think it’s a great cause to get behind.”

The tip-off will be broadcast Iive from the FedEx Forum on ESPN+ along with the game between Hubert Davis' North Carolina and Penny Hardaway's Memphis. Coach Staley also shared that she was looking forward to the men's game as well.

“It’s a cool setting,” Staley said. “Our kids will get a chance to see Penny [Hardaway]. I’m sure he’s young enough to where they remember him. They don’t remember me."

"And then, North Carolina has a great brand. I’m sure (my team) will be excited about all that as well as celebrating women’s basketball and all the great things Memphis is doing."

South Carolina prepare for an uphill task next season

The 2024-25 season is just a few weeks away and the South Carolina Gamecocks will be attempting to defend their 2024 NCAA title win. They enjoyed an undefeated season last year, but things look a little tough for them to repeat it.

The Gamecocks lost an important piece, Kamilla Cardosa to the WNBA in the offseason. Other teams such as USC and UConn have made big moves to secure important talents that make their roster more well-rounded for a potethe tial title run.

While Dawn Staley has retained most of her players from last season and is therefore the favorite to win the championship again, the growth of their opponents could make the run extremely tough.