From being ranked the No. 1 player in the world at just 13 years old, to being one of the select few girls high school athletes to be signed by Nike, Jerzy Robinson has seen it all at a young age and has put in the work to become the star she is today. For Robinson however, her journey has just begun.
At only nine years old, Robinson let her dad, Darnell, know that she wanted to go all-in on basketball, and Darnell knew a thing or two about working hard. He was a standout linebacker at Oregon State from 1997-2000, and was even signed with the Detroit Lions in 2001. As a professional trainer now, Darnell has boosted Robinson’s physical gift to new heights. In the few years after Robinson told her father she wanted to take the game seriously, Darnell encouraged her to start lifting weights, and while hesitant at first, she bought in.
“I told her that part of being an athlete means you got to look the part,” Darnell said in an interview with SLAM on YouTube. “That’s why when you see her, you’re like ‘wow’. That was the whole goal of starting her at a young age was as her body transformed, she would turn into this amazing specimen of an athlete.”
Robinson’s work ethic buy-in worked out as well as it could’ve. She is currently a 6-foot-2 multi-positional guard who plays the game at her own pace, and sees the floor at an exceptional level. As a taller guard, she’s a problem in isolation situations on the perimeter, while still being able to make a strong impact down low, as Robinson is now a five-star recruit and the No. 5 player in the ESPNW class of 2026 rankings.
Robinson grew up in Phoenix, and was at Desert Vista High School for her freshman year. In that season on the court she averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds per game, while shooting at a high clip of 62% from the field. Already being a highly-touted player, it was a clear path to end up transferring and attending Sierra Canyon; one of the premiere high school basketball programs in the country. Sierra Canyon head coach Alicia Komaki admires the passion Robinson has for the game.
“As a coach of an elite program, and when you play elite competition, you need that person who just wants to win so badly, and Jerzy’s not shy about that,” Komaki said. “Anytime you watch her compete, even if it’s in a practice, if it’s in a workout, if it’s in a game, you can just see the desire she has to compete and to want to win.”
As a sophomore in her first year with the Trailblazers, Robinson had major shoes to fill as standout JuJu Watkins graduated the prior year, and Robinson shined, embracing the fact that she was at a historic program with at least six other Division I level players on her team. She averaged a double-double with 22 points per game along with 10.8 boards.
“Jerzy had to be patient,” Komaki said. “We had conversations about it not being her team yet. She was only a sophomore as a first-year in our program, and she had to learn the ropes and figure things out, but obviously she did and the future was bright.”
Bright enough to have a breakout summer in 2024. At the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Mexico, Robinson completely stole the show and really showed to the world her sheer talent. From the round of 16 to the finals, Robinson strung together four straight games of 20-plus points, including a dominant 25-point performance in the championship game against Canada to win Gold. Not only did USA and Robinson win gold, but she earned the Most Valuable Player award as well.
The World Cup allowed Robinson to transition back to high school basketball seamlessly, and put up 27 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game in her junior season, earningAll-American honors.
LSU and UConn sought after Robinson hard in the recruiting process, but on December 23, 2025, just three weeks before Hoophall, she committed to South Carolina and Dawn Staley’s nationally known program, as she announced her commitment on ESPN’s show “NBA Today”.
“I feel like [South Carolina] is home. It’s peace,” Robinson said in an interview with Malika Andrews on ESPN’s “NBA Today” show. “I’m just excited for my next couple years and my next chapter.”
The commitment of Robinson to the Gamecocks adds a spark to an already loaded recruiting class. Robinson is the highest ranked 2026 South Carolina commit, but prior commitments from Kaeli Winn and Kelsi Andrews, who rank No. 17 and 18 respectively will light up the college basketball scene next winter in Columbia, S.C.
Robinson also got a fun surprise on the show, as former Gamecock great and WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson sent a video in to congratulate Robinson in her announcement on her next chapter.
“You made the best choice. There’s no place like Columbia,” Wilson said. “I’m so excited to watch you grow as a person and as a player and take the next step in your journey. Before you know it, I’ll be seeing you in the big leagues — You ready? I know you are. Go Gamecocks.”
Robinson and Sierra Canyon headlined a historic Friday session at Hoophall – six games, all girls games. The marquee matchup is west coast juggernaut Sierra Canyon facing off against east coast powerhouse Long Island Lutheran in the 7 p.m. game. Robinson put up a game-high 33 points, including 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 70-60 loss to No. 3 ranked LuHi.