Dawn Staley’s South Carolina program is no stranger to making history. With nine of the last 11 SEC Tournament titles, five consecutive Final Four appearances, and three national championships since 2017, the Gamecocks have achieved nearly everything possible on the court. But this season, Staley accomplished something the program had never done before—and it happened off the court.
When five-star forward Kaeli Wynn, ranked No. 17 in the 2026 class by ESPN, signed with South Carolina in November, she became the first-ever high school recruit from California to join the Gamecocks. It’s a remarkable milestone for a program that has dominated the national landscape but historically focused its recruiting efforts closer to home.
While South Carolina has had two letter winners from California before—Te-Hina Paopao (2023-25) and Destiny Littleton (2020-22)—both arrived as college transfers, not straight from high school.
The California pipeline continued to grow in December when five-star guard Jerzy Robinson, ranked No. 5 in the 2026 class, committed to the Gamecocks. Robinson, who plays at powerhouse Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles alongside Wynn, is poised to become the second high school recruit from California to sign with South Carolina.
“You always want to be the first in everything,” Robinson told The State. “So just to be a part of history, to be able to come into a big program like South Carolina, and be able to represent the West Coast, it adds something to just being a hometown kid or already being from the South or East Coast. It’s definitely something we pride ourselves on.”
Breaking New Ground
South Carolina’s recruiting has traditionally centered on the South, with 154 letter winners from the region. The Southeast has been particularly fruitful, especially South Carolina (82), Georgia (25), and Florida (15). The West Coast? Practically untapped territory.
“For me, I sometimes get hot and cold with 3,000 miles away,” Staley admitted Friday. “You can feel when (recruits) like you. When it’s only two or three on their list. I’m all for that. When it’s 10, that’s hard for just us to stay engaged. Especially when there’s so much talent right next to us in our neighboring states. But when you recruit a California kid, you got to know they have really strong interest in you.”
Landing top California talent is especially impressive considering the state is home to perennial NCAA Tournament contenders USC and UCLA. So how did South Carolina pull it off?
The Secret Weapon
While Staley’s reputation is undeniably a powerful recruiting tool, she emphasizes that recruiting is an “all hands on deck” effort. Associate head coach Lisa Boyer played a crucial role in securing Wynn’s commitment.
“Coach Boyer really stayed on Kaeli and her family,” Staley said.
But the game-changer may be first-year assistant Wendale Farrow, hired in April after Winston Gandy departed for Grand Canyon. A Sacramento native with nearly a decade of coaching experience in California—including stints at Cal (2016-21) and USC (2021-25)—Farrow brings invaluable West Coast connections and cultural understanding.
Robinson, who actually lived in Phoenix before transferring to Sierra Canyon, has known Farrow since eighth grade and credits him as a major factor in her decision.
“We’ve been locked in probably since the eighth grade,” Robinson said of Farrow. “It’s super good to have somebody that also is an adult, an authoritative figure on the staff who knows the West Coast life and is from LA. (He) can help us when we’re potentially homesick and bring that culture over to where we’re at. So he absolutely played a big part. That’s my dog for sure.”
With Farrow on staff and two elite California recruits heading to Columbia, South Carolina has officially planted its flag on the West Coast—and the recruiting landscape may never be the same.
