Jezelle "GG" Banks, the No. 4-ranked player in the 2027 class, according to 247Sports, announced on Saturday that she has committed to South Carolina. She ultimately chose to play for coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks over Texas and LSU. The point guard from Wilmington, Delaware, said she chose to play for the legendary Staley because of her honesty during the recruitment process.
"From my first time meeting Dawn, to Coach Jo and the staff making me feel right at home, I knew this was where I belonged," Banks, who plays for St. James Performance Academy in Virginia, told ESPN. "They never just recruited me as a player, they recruited me as a person, and they were honest with me about what it would take to get where I want to go.
I want to compete for national championships, and I want to be pushed every single day." This decision caps off a huge summer for the five-star recruit, who won the inaugural WNBA All-Star Shooting Stars competition alongside Shakira Austin and Elena Delle Donne in Chicago and saw her Overtime Select highlight reel go viral, with 8.7 million views and counting. My goodness… 😳Take a minute and watch GG BANKS 💰 pic.twitter.com/uJwkPPELt5 When speaking with CBS Sports' Isabel Gonzalez in August, Banks said she was looking to commit to a program where she would be allowed to be herself and grow. "Definitely somewhere where a coach will allow me to make mistakes, not change who I am, but definitely develop my game," Banks said.
"That will be a big thing." Banks told CBS Sports that she models her game after NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. "Not just his skillset," she said. "The way he thinks, he has a different mind for the game of basketball.
Just a different aspect of the mentality part. He is very focused on what he wants to do. Not only that, he is just a great person." Under Staley's leadership, the Gamecocks have developed into a women's basketball powerhouse, winning three national championships (2017, 2022, 2024) and reaching six consecutive Final Fours and three consecutive national championship games.
After losing to UCLA in the title game in April, Staley reloaded in the transfer portal and welcomed the No. 2-ranked 2026 recruiting class to campus, including guard Jerzy Robinson (No. 3 in the Top 247) and forward Oliviyah Edwards (No. 5). But point guard remains a position of need in Columbia, and Banks' commitment guarantees the Gamecocks will have a dangerous backcourt for years to come.
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