South Carolina women’s basketball: Jezelle Banks sets top three, commitment date

Point guard Jezelle “GG” Banks has announced her three finalists. The fourth-ranked player in the 2027 class has also set her commitment date. Banks is down to South Carolina, LSU, and Texas. She will announce her commitment on October 9 in Delaware, according to ESPN. She visited South Carolina the weekend of September 18, along with wing Jordyn Palmer and point guard Taylor Brown. On Sunday, Dawn Staley and Jolette Law were in Las Vegas to watch Banks play. She scored 24 points to lead St. James Academy to a 67-64 win over Ontario Christian and top-ranked Kaleena Smith. Earlier this summer, Banks won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup. In five games, she averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 assists. What does this mean for the Gamecocks? Chris Wellbaum and fellow subscribers are discussing it now on the Women’s Basketball forum. 5-10 Banks was one of four high school players who participated in the Shooting Stars event and WNBA All-Star Weekend. Banks hit the winning shot for the Washington team. Banks was a two-time Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year before transferring to St. James Academy in Maryland. She also plays for the Team Durant AAU team. On Saturday, South Carolina got a commitment from Brown, its first pledge of the class. The Gamecocks also hosted 17th-ranked post Zaniya Johnson from Mississippi for an official visit. Palmer is still finishing up her visits. She has visited Ohio State and UCLA, and is expected to visit Penn State soon. She has not announced a commitment date. South Carolina is also recruiting Banks’ teammate Ashley MacCalla, who plans to visit at some point. MacCalla has visited Rutgers, Oklahoma, Virginia, Cal, and LSU. She also has visits to Miami (October 23) and Texas planned. MacCalla is ranked 21st in the country by Rivals, 28th by 247, and 15th in the country by ESPN. She is 5-11 and listed as a small forward by Rivals and a guard by ESPN, but she is mostly a face-up perimeter player, so guard seems more appropriate. South Carolina is expected to sign a small class, and the delay in scheduling MacCalla’s visit may have something to do with uncertainty about whether the Gamecocks have room for her.