GG Banks
| St. James Performance Academy | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | November 27, 2008 | ||||||||||||||
Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | |||||||||||||||
| College | South Carolina (commit) | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jezelle "GG" Banks (born November 27, 2008) is an American basketball player who attends The St. James Performance Academy. She is a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2027 class.
High school career
Banks began her career at Ursuline Academy. During her freshman year she averaged 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.0 assists per game. Following the season she was named the Gatorade Delaware Player of the Year. During the DIAA girls state championship game, she hit the game-winning free-throw with 1.9 seconds left to help Ursuline defeat Caravel Academy, 49-48. She finished the game 29 points, a team-high seven rebounds and four steals. This was the school's 18th championship in program history, and their first since 2017. She was also named the Delaware High School Coaches Association's Player of the Year, and the Delaware MaxPreps Player of the Year. During her sophomore year she averaged 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Following the season she was named the Gatorade Delaware Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
On April 26, 2025, she announced she was leaving Ursuline Academy and transferring to The St. James Performance Academy. During her junior year she averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and led St. James Performance Academy to the Chipotle Nationals. In the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) she averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 47.4% from the floor.
She competed in the Shooting Stars Contest during 2026 WNBA All-Star Game weekend. The event included teams containing a high school player from the EYBL, a current WNBA player, and a retired WNBA legend. Banks competed on Team Washington, along with Elena Delle Donne and Shakira Austin. During the final round against Team Seattle, she hit the game-winning shot from just inside half-court to secure the 31–24 victory.
Recruiting
Banks is considered a five-star recruit, and ranked the No. 4 player in the 2027 class by ESPN. Her final four schools included Texas, LSU, South Carolina and Ohio State. On October 10, 2026, she committed to play college basketball at South Carolina.
National team career
Banks represented the United States at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup where she averaged 13.8 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. During the final against Canada she recorded 14 points, five rebounds, and nine assists to help team USA win a gold medal.
References
- ↑ "Ursuline Academy freshman Jezelle 'GG' Banks named state Gatorade Player of the Year for girls basketball". thedialog.org. March 14, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Lang, Mike (March 10, 2024). "Late free throw lifts Ursuline Academy to 18th DIAA girls basketball state championship". thedialog.org. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Iadonisi, Matteo (March 25, 2024). "Delaware girls' basketball star scores championship, national recognition". 6abc.com. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Ursuline Academy Student-Athlete Named Gatorade Delaware Girls Basketball Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade. March 13, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Greene, Sean (April 26, 2025). "Delaware's 2-time High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year leaving Ursuline early". wdel.com. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Durst, Norbert (October 26, 2026). "High school girls basketball: Kaleena Smith, Jezelle Banks headline top 10 point guards for 2026-27". MaxPreps. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- 1 2 Laflin, Shane (October 10, 2026). "Jezelle 'GG' Banks, No. 4 in class of 2027, picks South Carolina". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Cooper, Leah Faye (October 16, 2026). "Breakout High School Basketball Star Jezelle "GG" Banks on Her Next Big Move". Teen Vogue. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Team Washington secures WNBA Shooting Stars win". Yahoo Sports. July 25, 2026. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Hall, Meghan L. (July 24, 2026). "5-star phenom with Elena Delle Donne link helps WNBA legend win All-Star event". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Isabel (August 19, 2026). "Meet viral sensation GG Banks: Everything to know about the top recruit as she narrows in on top four schools". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Kesin, Lulu (October 10, 2026). "5-star point guard GG Banks picks South Carolina, Dawn Staley over Texas, LSU". The Greenville News. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Caroline Bradley". usab.com. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
- ↑ "USA Beat Canada 90-72 for 12th Straight Gold Medal at 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup". usab.com. June 15, 2026. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Kevin L. (June 15, 2026). "Takeaways from USA's Gold Medal Performance at FIBA U-18 Women's AmeriCup". SI.com. Retrieved November 3, 2026.