Five-Star GG Banks Commits to South Carolina Over LSU and Texas

South Carolina landed one of the biggest prizes in the 2027 recruiting class Saturday when five-star guard Jezelle “GG” Banks committed to Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. Banks, ranked No. 4 nationally in ESPN’s SC Next 100, chose South Carolina over fellow finalists LSU and Texas after taking an official visit to Columbia in September.

The 5-foot-10 guard brings both production and a growing national profile. Banks was the 2024-25 Gatorade Delaware Girls Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 21.7 points and 4.8 assists as a sophomore. She also helped USA Basketball win gold at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup, averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 assists across five games. Banks said South Carolina’s staff recruited her as a person as well as a player and was direct about what it would take to reach her goals.

For Staley, the commitment continues an impressive run at the very top of the recruiting board. Banks becomes another top-six national prospect headed to Columbia and gives South Carolina an elite lead-guard building block for 2027. Her decision also carries extra recruiting intrigue because LSU and Texas were serious finalists. South Carolina did not simply add a five-star prospect Saturday — it won a head-to-head battle against two major SEC rivals for one of the best guards in the country.