‘I was loved there’: Jerzy Robinson breaks down commitment to Dawn Staley, Gamecocks
Jerzy Robinson remembers her first phone call with Dawn Staley like it was yesterday.
She was 14 years old. Or was it 15? OK, maybe she doesn’t remember that specific detail like it was yesterday, but it was definitely one of those two years, she told The State this week.
Robinson was an up-and-coming hooper who was garnering more and more attention on the recruiting trail. Naturally, big-time programs like South Carolina came calling.
“My first call with Dawn, I actually remember the day it happened. I had to call her because of recruiting policies or whatever, and I was nervous,” Robinson told The State. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna get on the phone with Dawn. I don’t know what to say.’ I was really nervous. I remember being like, this is Dawn Staley … but even from the first call, it was just natural. Like we’re having a conversation, I’ve known you for a long time. Obviously, through the recruiting process, it’s developed immensely.”
Fast-forward to 2025 and that connection has only gotten stronger. So strong, in fact, that it was a key driver for Robinson to ultimately commit to Staley and the Gamecocks.
Robinson is a 5-star guard and the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2026, per ESPN’s rankings. She’s the third commit in the class for Staley and the Gamecocks. South Carolina beat out other perennial title contenders in UConn and LSU for Robinson’s talents.
“I wanted to go to a good program, have a good college experience, but mostly go to a top basketball program, top university in the country,” Robinson said. “So that really narrowed itself down to LSU, UConn, South Carolina. And then from there, I took my visits and the rest is history.”
Robinson took her official visit to South Carolina in late October. She was at South Carolina’s football game against Alabama on Saturday, and a women’s basketball exhibition game against Anderson on Sunday.
The 6-foot guard has an immovable grin on her face when she talks about her official visit with the Gamecocks. She gushed about every detail of her time in Columbia, whether it was the steak dinners, attending a football game at Williams-Brice Stadium or just walking around campus and spending time with the team. All of that, combined with an early great impression from Staley and her staff, made it “such a great weekend.”
“I think from the jump, it was great. I got in at around midnight. The whole coaching staff showed up. Dawn, [assistant coach Wendale Farrow], everybody showed up. That stood out to me just from other visits, it was surprising, it’s midnight. … It was by far my best visit.”
After the visit to South Carolina, Robinson repeated her usual post-official visit process. She met with family, prayed and even spent time not thinking about basketball as a way of sorting through her true feelings.
“Each visit is a high,” Robinson said. “You’re high off emotions. You’re high off feelings. So you don’t want to make the decision, for me personally, on the visit when they’re treating you with the red carpet.”
Eventually, while Robinson and her high school team, Sierra Canyon (CA), were playing in the Hoopfest in Paradise tournament in the Bahamas it hit her: Robinson wanted to be a Gamecock.
“I really just sat with it for a while, and I found peace at South Carolina, with Dawn Staley, who I’ve known for a long time, and cares about you, if you know her, as a person first before a basketball player,” Robinson said. “… The decision was easy for me. It was very easy for me. I just felt like, if I went there, I was going to be taken care of, I was going to be set up as far as basketball, but also I could flourish as a woman in these next few years of my life.”
Robinson called Staley (via a Facetime call to Tessa Johnson) after a game and told Staley and the rest of the team she was committing. As shown in a clip on ESPN’s NBA Today when Robinson publicly announced her commitment just before Christmas, mayhem ensued as the South Carolina locker room erupted in cheers.
The same feelings Robinson had with her first-ever call with Staley bubbled up again when she committed.
“The moment was perfect,” Robinson said. “They showed the love, which is ultimately why I’m going to that school. I committed there because it just felt like I was appreciated there, and I was loved there.”
It may have taken Robinson a few months to come to her final decision but her high school head coach, Sierra Canyon’s Alicia Komaki, called it long ago.
“I feel like I personally called it like two years ago,” Komaki said with a laugh. “We know the South Carolina coaching staff. We’ve had a relationship with them for a long time. … It just felt like it was gonna be a really good fit for her. So for me, it was where I saw her going.”
There’s still nearly a year before Robinson suits up for the Gamecocks for the first time, but she’s looking forward to everything that will come with playing for South Carolina.
“It’s gonna be new,” Robinson said. “It’s gonna be the South, it’s gonna be the East Coast. It’s gonna be playing for Dawn Staley, who’s cemented in history as a player and a coach. It’s gonna be playing with completely new girls. I’ve been to Columbia once, one time. It’s gonna be seeing a whole new city. … I’m ready for something new. I’m just excited for the opportunity.“
