Robinson ‘living the dream’ with Sierra Canyon
Jerzy Robinson was smiling — borderline laughing — while on the court during Sierra Canyon girls basketball’s game against Notre Dame on Thursday evening.
Robinson’s defense was serious, though, and made her a threat to the Knights’ top-scoring players. She had the offense to match and finished with 25 points as the Trailblazers (16-1 overall, 3-0 in Mission League) went on to win the game 121-35.
“I’m living the dream, honestly,” Robinson said. “To be able to be in LA, be in Hollywood, have these great teammates and great resources as coaches and things around us, it’s honestly a dream come true.”
Robinson joined the
CHATSWORTH »
Trailblazers this season after transferring from Desert Vista High School in Arizona. The sophomore already holds offers from schools like UCLA, USC and Ohio State and won a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
She was the youngest player to ever win MVP at the tournament as a 14-year-old after averaging 17.3 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Moving to Southern California has come with some homesickness, but Robinson said she only sees value in being here. It took her about a week to get the hang of Sierra Canyon’s school-day schedule, but the family-like environment of the team helped her transition.
The phrase “never bet against the family” is even inscribed on the players’ warm-up shirts.
“Everybody wants it out here,” Robinson said. “We all work super hard and we try to challenge each other and be competitive, but at the end of the day, we really love each other and we do it out of love.”
She’s quick to mention that Mackenly Randolph, who scored 31 points on Thursday, is her favorite teammate to go against in practice.
“She can’t guard me,” Robinson said. “But we be going at it, for sure.”
Sierra Canyon turned suffocating defense into offense to gain a big lead early against Notre Dame (117, 1-2). Izela Arenas scored twice off of steals to give the Trailblazers an 8-0 advantage with roughly five minutes remaining in the first quarter and they never looked back.
Robinson’s toughness led to points as she shook off defenders and reached up for shots. Head coach Alicia Komaki typically assigns her to guard the opposing team’s best player, something that Robinson embraces.
“Usually, it’s about scoring the most points or getting the most rebounds or whatever is going to hit the stat chart,” Komaki said. “I think that’s impressive, that she not only is great at defense, but she buys into it and she wants to do it and takes a lot of pride in her defense.”
At 6-foot-2, Robinson has exceptional strength, finesse and maturity despite being just 15 years old. She makes youthful mistakes, Komaki said, but the coaching staff has steadily watched her rise.
Robinson piled on 12 points in the opening quarter of play on Thursday and steadily contributed until she was relieved late in the third quarter. Even from the bench, she continued to bring the energy to her newfound family at Sierra Canyon.
“We work hard,” she said. “So just playing freely, making sure we’re still playing hard taking it seriously. But the most important thing is to go out there and have fun. That’s the main thing we’re going to do out there.”