Rutgers’ Kiyomi McMiller reposts cryptic “transfer portal” message after getting benched vs. JuJu Watkins’ USC

Kiyomi McMiller has been a key player for the Rutgers women's basketball team, being one of their best scorers this season. However, her situation has taken a drastic turn after being benched for a 92-42 loss to JuJu Watkins and the fourth-ranked USC Trojans on Sunday.

McMiller attributed her benching to a coaching decision, something that was out of her control as it seems she would've played had Rutgers not taken action.

And it seems she has taken a cryptic approach to expressing her thoughts on the decision via social media. A fan made an Instagram story post that requested her to enter the transfer portal, and McMiller reposted that post on her own account.

Rutgers coach addresses Kiyomi McMiller benching

The benching of Kiyomi McMiller significantly affected Rutgers' chances of competing against the No. 4 USC Trojans (14-1, 4-0 Big Ten) as reflected by its 92-42 defeat.

The Knights (8-7, 0-4), who lost their third straight game, struggled to convert their shots, only being successful on 28.0% of their attempts. They were overwhelmed on the glass, losing the rebounding battle 53-23.

Rutgers coach Coquese Washington discussed the decision to bench McMiller after the game, saying the reasoning was "internal" but did not go any further on specifics.

“The thing with Kiyomi is, you know, we're going to keep it internal," Washington said. "The decision-making that we do that goes into this program, it's about defining character and growing young people. As we deal with different circumstances and situations, for me, the first thing is how are we impacting these young people.

"How am I using my position and my role as head coach to grow teenagers into young women? What we're doing here, we're going to keep the specifics and everything internal, but I'll never turn down an opportunity and turn down to use this position to do anything other than have an impact on young women's lives."

The Knights missed McMiller's offensive presence, as she averages 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 43.5% shooting (37.8% from beyond the arc).

Pending Kiyomi McMiller's situation, the Scarlet Knights will look to return to the win column when they visit Minnesota (15-1, 3-1) at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.