South Carolina Gamecocks standout Chloe Kitts was subject to a dad joke after she returned to the court from an academic policy issue.

Mar 31, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts (21) reacts to a play against the Oregon State Beavers during the second half in the finals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Mar 31, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts (21) reacts to a play against the Oregon State Beavers during the second half in the finals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team had to play their November 10 game against NC State without star player Chloe Kitts due to what was called an “academic policy issue”.

“We’re disappointed that Chloe has to sit out the game today due to an academic policy issue,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said through a social media release. “Chloe has shown tremendous growth both academically and athletically over the offseason, demonstrating her commitment to excellence in every aspect. While she’s unable to play today, we’re incredibly proud of her progress.”

One would imagine that losing Kitts (who tallied 19 points and 14 rebounds in their season opener) would have been tough for the Gamecocks. But they still cruised to an easy win against the No. 13 ranked NC State team.

After the game, Staley made it clear that Kitts would only be missing one game — and that’s exactly what happened, as the junior forward returned to the court during Thursday’s game against Coppin State.

And it didn’t look like Kitts missed a beat, as she scored 19 points (on 8-10 from the floor) while adding 10 rebounds in a 92-60 win.

However, the best part of this whole affair came after the game ended, with a message that Kitts’ father sent on social media.

In a reply to the @trendyhoopstars post about Kitts’ stat line on Thursday, her father Jason wrote, “School is in session!”

He then replied to a comment by writing, “Love to see them all back together again”.

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned dad joke to lighten the mood after what must have been a difficult couple of days for Kitts.