Chloe Kitts out for the season due to ACL tear | The Boneyard

Chloe Kitts out for the season due to ACL tear

I feel bad for her, her teammates and Gamecock Nation. This is a player who plays with passion and intensity. Chloe, keep your positive outlook throughout your rehabilitation journey, and we will look forward to seeing you in 2026-27!
 
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Wow, that is terrible news! It breaks my heart when we hear this happening and a player who should be enjoying playing top collegiate competition as take most of a year off for surgery and rehab. I hope she has a quick and complete recovery.
 
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Centerstream said:
Hope that she has a great surgery and rehab, if such a thing exists.
I still remember the close up of her near the end of the Championship game when she was on the bench and mouthed "wow" after watching, I believe, another UConn basket.
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She'll get the best treatment possible. Considering her commitment to training, I'm assuming she's going to attack it with that same energy.
 
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They fooled me. Pictures surfaced of Chloe with a pretty serious brace; but then she went to sec media day and acted like everything was fine. Guess they had some more tests they wanted to do; or just wanted to announce on their terms?
 
oldude said:
Various studies indicate that female athletes are anywhere from 2 to 8 times more likely to suffer knee injuries than male athletes. Unfortunately, I doubt that makes Chloe Kitts feel any better.
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I definitely think that the seemingly rampant incidences of major injuries in women’s college basketball is worthy of discussion here and serious analysis by the powers that be. Heck, nobody feels it more than UConn.
Further discussion: Achilles ruptures in NBA. When I grew up, this was an “old man’s” injury. Johnny Unitas. Athletes after ruptures were put out to pasture. I did my right one when I was 50. I was a D3 hoopster, marathoner, and triathlete. What gives?
Is it the training? Sleep/diet? Level of intensity on the floor? Athletes driven to take more chances? Should JuJu have pulled up for a J, rather than risking splitting those defenders? Paige, freakish, untouched crossing midcourt?
When we played were we big, sluggish Edsels and now the players are race cars?
One more note: when we played in the late 70’s, we didn’t seek contact except inside. We took it to the hole, but if it wasn’t there, we pulled up. Remember midrange. If you couldn’t shoot off the dribble, you were missing something. And we were taught to use the glass from 45 degrees. Has the game changed to contribute to injuries?
 
Come on, man! 😑😑😑

Best of luck to Chloe on her recovery!
 
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Feel bad for any athlete to get hurt, especially one who looks like she plays the game the right way.

I don't think it was talked about much, but I will always remember the look of exasperation and astonishment she had when she was tasked with guarding Sarah last year. She never gave up but I remember a few times she just had a look like "What am I supposed to do against that?".

Again, though, sad news and wish her a full and speedy recovery.
 
FanSince17 said:
I definitely think that the seemingly rampant incidences of major injuries in women’s college basketball is worthy of discussion here and serious analysis by the powers that be. Heck, nobody feels it more than UConn.
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What is there to discuss? Can't do anything about it.

Women have less developed muscle structures (not due to lack of effort, but due to biology) and a wider pelvis that places more stress on the ligament in activities like basketball that calls for a bunch of sharp cuts.
 
JstVisiting said:
What is there to discuss? Can't do anything about it.

Women have less developed muscle structures (not due to lack of effort, but due to biology) and a wider pelvis that places more stress on the ligament in activities like basketball that calls for a bunch of sharp cuts.
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Not sure if the snark was intended. You made a good point later in the post, something that I did not know.
So, player safety cannot be legislated for. I disagree. Not only that, but IMO it is essential to the “health” of the sport. This isn’t “Rollerball”. (Famous movie with James Caan)
Fred Warner was wheeled off yesterday. DPOY. What’s it mean to him, to his team, his family, his community?
How about the overly physical play in the W? Can’t do anything about it. Sorry, I do not accept that.
 
FanSince17 said:
Not sure if the snark was intended. You made a good point later in the post, something that I did not know.
So, player safety cannot be legislated for. I disagree. Not only that, but IMO it is essential to the “health” of the sport. This isn’t “Rollerball”. (Famous movie with James Caan)
Fred Warner was wheeled off yesterday. DPOY. What’s it mean to him, to his team, his family, his community?
How about the overly physical play in the W? Can’t do anything about it. Sorry, I do not accept that.
Expand ...
Many ACL tears are non-contact due to stress placed by sharp change of direction movements. You cannot do anything about it without changing the sport to something unrecognizable as basketball.

This would probably lead to less ACL tears.

Six-on-six basketball - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

That's the degree of change it would take.

Edited bc I decided one of the AI's could summarize everything more comprehensively than I. Asked and cut and pasted

Women suffer more frequent ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears in basketball (and other sports like soccer and volleyball) due to a combination of biomechanical, anatomical, hormonal, and neuromuscular factors. Here’s a breakdown of the main reasons:



🔬​


  • Wider pelvis (Q-angle): Women generally have a wider pelvis, which increases the angle at which the femur meets the tibia (the Q-angle). This can put more strain on the knee, especially during cutting or landing.
  • Smaller ACL size: On average, women have smaller ligaments than men, including the ACL, which may make it more susceptible to tearing.


🧠​


  • Landing mechanics: Female athletes tend to land with less knee flexion (straighter knees) and more valgus motion (knees collapsing inward), which significantly increases ACL strain.
  • Muscle activation patterns: Women often rely more on the quadriceps than the hamstrings to stabilize the knee. Strong hamstrings help protect the ACL by reducing forward movement of the tibia, so imbalances can increase injury risk.
  • Core and hip strength differences: Weakness in the hips and core can lead to poor lower body alignment and control during movement.


🧪​


  • Estrogen and relaxin levels fluctuate during the menstrual cycle and may affect ligament laxity (looseness). Higher laxity can make joints less stable and more prone to injury.
  • Research is still mixed, but some studies suggest that ACL injury risk may be higher during certain phases of the menstrual cycle.


🏀​


  • In basketball, quick stops, pivots, and jumps are common. If these movements are performed with poor form (e.g., knee valgus), the ACL is at greater risk.
  • Cutting maneuvers — especially when the foot is planted and the body changes direction — are a key mechanism for non-contact ACL tears, and differences in technique between men and women can influence injury risk.


⚠️ Summary:​


Women are more prone to ACL tears due to:


  • Anatomy (wider hips, smaller ACLs),
  • Hormonal influences (ligament laxity),
  • Neuromuscular differences (landing/knee control),
  • and movement mechanics in sports like basketball.


✅ Prevention strategies:​


Training programs that emphasize:


  • Proper landing mechanics
  • Strengthening hamstrings, glutes, and core
  • Improving balance and neuromuscular control

...have been shown to reduce ACL injury risk in female athletes.


Let me know if you want a sample ACL injury prevention workout plan for basketball players.
 
FanSince17 said:
Not sure if the snark was intended. You made a good point later in the post, something that I did not know.
So, player safety cannot be legislated for. I disagree. Not only that, but IMO it is essential to the “health” of the sport. This isn’t “Rollerball”. (Famous movie with James Caan)
Fred Warner was wheeled off yesterday. DPOY. What’s it mean to him, to his team, his family, his community?
How about the overly physical play in the W? Can’t do anything about it. Sorry, I do not accept that.
Expand ...
The physical play in WNBA basketball has very little to do with the number of ACL injuries. 83% of them are non contact and almost all of them are from pivoting, cutting, and landing from jumps.
 
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BobbyJ said:
The physical play in WNBA basketball has very little to do with the number of ACL injuries. 83% of them are non contact and almost all of them are from pivoting, cutting, and landing from jumps.
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Nice post.
How about the accumulation of stress that could lead to an injury. I would argue in basketball more injuries are from accumulated stress (with running, swimming, etc it's called "overuse") than from trauma.
 
JstVisiting said:
What is there to discuss? Can't do anything about it.

Women have less developed muscle structures (not due to lack of effort, but due to biology) and a wider pelvis that places more stress on the ligament in activities like basketball that calls for a bunch of sharp cuts.
Expand ...
Yes, there are physical and biological reasons as to why, but saying "Can't do anything about it" isn't entirely accurate. Studies have shown areas where things can be improved, like the player's movement and how weight is distributed to help minimize strain. Studies have also shown that specialization in one sport can cause more harm than good. This data has been used to help trainers and athletes identify how to improve where they can.

Further studies are being conducted in soccer and other sports to look at the potential of hormonal changes at different times of a female athlete's cycle. Sue Bird has talked about this specifically in her podcast "A Touch More" earlier this year. Sports science continues to evolve because there is a lot that still isn't known.
 
FanSince17 said:
I definitely think that the seemingly rampant incidences of major injuries in women’s college basketball is worthy of discussion here and serious analysis by the powers that be. Heck, nobody feels it more than UConn.
Further discussion: Achilles ruptures in NBA. When I grew up, this was an “old man’s” injury. Johnny Unitas. Athletes after ruptures were put out to pasture. I did my right one when I was 50. I was a D3 hoopster, marathoner, and triathlete. What gives?
Is it the training? Sleep/diet? Level of intensity on the floor? Athletes driven to take more chances? Should JuJu have pulled up for a J, rather than risking splitting those defenders? Paige, freakish, untouched crossing midcourt?
When we played were we big, sluggish Edsels and now the players are race cars?
One more note: when we played in the late 70’s, we didn’t seek contact except inside. We took it to the hole, but if it wasn’t there, we pulled up. Remember midrange. If you couldn’t shoot off the dribble, you were missing something. And we were taught to use the glass from 45 degrees. Has the game changed to contribute to injuries?
Expand ...
This is an annual discussion in some form on the board. It also isn't a UConn problem. It just seems that way due to recent history.

To your question about reasons why, the research has been done and is continuing to be done. If you use AI, ask the question "What research is being done to help women manage ACL injuries better?". Used with Gemini AI and I received a decent summary outlining several areas that are being looked at a long with reference links. If it's easier, I can send it to you in a private message for you to save time.
 
FanSince17 said:
Nice post.
How about the accumulation of stress that could lead to an injury. I would argue in basketball more injuries are from accumulated stress (with running, swimming, etc it's called "overuse") than from trauma.
Expand ...
No way to measure it that I know of. Out of ten athletes in a given sport with basically the same amount of usage, maybe one gets injured and the other nine don't. Too much training or not enough? Who can tell?
 
Stagnant said:
They fooled me. Pictures surfaced of Chloe with a pretty serious brace; but then she went to sec media day and acted like everything was fine. Guess they had some more tests they wanted to do; or just wanted to announce on their terms?
Expand ...
SEC Media Day is tomorrow. Tessa Johnson named today as Chloe’s replacement too attend.
 
Damn, that stinks. I've always liked Chloe, and she really turned into the player I was expecting last year. I hope she makes a full recovery and that we can see her next year.
 
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