Seven members of the South Georgia Technical College Jets and Lady Jets 2018 – 2019 basketball teams have earned Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Division I All-Academic Team honors, announced GCAA Executive Director David Elder.
All six of the South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets sophomores were named to the All-Academic Team and sophomore Samuel Matice was selected to represent the Jets. South Georgia Technical College had the largest number of scholar-athletes on the GCAA team for the 2018 – 2019 season. The six athletically and academically talented Lady Jets and their freshmen counterparts will be representing the GCAA in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas, March 18th – 23rd for the third consecutive season.
In order to be named to the GCAA All-Academic Team, student athletes must be a sophomore with a minimum of three full-time terms and a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Only 33 players in the GCAA earned this recognition from the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
“I am so proud of each of these student-athletes,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “These students put in many hours of hard work on the basketball court but they are just as diligent with their school work. That is what helps create a winning program – smart players who realize the importance of hard work on and off the court. Basketball is important but the education that these students gain will be valuable long after they retire from this sport.”
Samuel Matice, the 7’ 0” sophomore center from SK, Canada, was the only Jets player to be named to the All-Academic team. Matice spent two years with the Jets. His best game during the regular season came against Andrew College when he scored 12 points, had 10 rebounds, and five blocks. He had the game of his career in the post season match-up against East Georgia when he had a double-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocked shots. He helped lead the Jets to a third place finish in the GCAA regular season. Matice plans to graduate in May with an associate degree in Sports and Fitness Management and continue his academic and athletic career at a four-year university of his choosing.
Ricka Jackson, Alyssa Nieves, Mari Hill, Fatou Pouye, Aubry Maulden and Bigue Sarr were the Lady Jets spotlighted as graduating sophomores and All-Academic Team nominees.
Ricka Jackson, from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, averaged 11 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists a game this year. She finished the year as second in the GCAA in field goal percentage shooting and assists to turn over ratio. She will graduate in May with an associate degree in Sports and Fitness Management with a 3.5 GPA. She will continue her education and playing career at Texas Tech University. She was selected to the GCAA All-Conference team and was an NJCAA All-Tournament honoree as well.
Alyssa Nieves, a sophomore from Tampa, FL, was second in the GCAA in scoring averaging 18 points per game, first in three-point percentage shooting at 52% and is also ranked eighth nationally in three-point percentage shooting. She set the SGTC record for three point shots in a game with 11 and most points in a single game with 41. She was also named as an NJCAA Player of the Week. She has a 3.6 GPA and will graduate in May with an associate’s degree in Sports and Fitness Management. She was named MVP of the NJCAA Division I District J championship game. She has not yet signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career but has numerous offers.
Sophomore Mari Hill is from Aichi, Japan. She led the GCAA in assists per game and steals per game and was ranked 3rd nationally in assists per game and 9th in steals per game. She has a 3.8 GPA and will graduate in May with an Associate’s Degree in Sports and Fitness Management. She was honored as the MVP for the NJCAA Region XVII tournament. She plans to continue her education and athletic career at a four-year institution of her choosing.
Fatou Pouye is a sophomore from Kaolack, Senegal and averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds per game. She lead the GCAA in field goal percentage, offensive rebounding and ranks 9th nationally in offensive rebounding. Pouye has a 3.5 GPA and will graduate in May with a Sports and Fitness Management degree. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and athletic career for the University of Illinois.
Bigue Sarr, a sophomore from Dakar, Senegal, is currently second in the GCAA in blocks per game and fifth in field goal percentage shooting as well as fifth in rebounds per game. She also ranked 14th nationally in blocks per game. She has a 3.6 GPA and will graduate in May with an associate degree in Sports and Fitness Management. Sarr has signed a national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Oklahoma State University.
The final Lady Jets recognized with All-Academic Team honors is Aubry Maulden from Darien, GA. She sustained an ankle injury three games into her sophomore season but has been diligently rehabbing and working as a player/coach this season. She has a 3.5 GPA and will graduate in May with an associate degree in Sports and Fitness Management. She plans to continue her academic and athletic career at Wesleyan University in Macon.
