The National Junior College Athletic Association has announced the 2019 – 2020 Academic Teams of the Year and the South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets were listed as the 15th top academic team in the nation in the women’s basketball category with an over 3.49 GPA team average for the year.
Two sophomores, Amara Edeh of Enugu State, Nigeria; and Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din of Marietta, were also named to the third team All-Academic team for posting a 3.60 – 3.79 individual GPA. Edeh was a power forward and Wazeerud-Din was a shooting forward for the Lady Jets.
“It is great having success on the basketball floor, but when every sophomore graduates every year, it is beyond rewarding,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head basketball coach James Frey. “I am very proud of this team for their efforts on the court and in the classroom.”
Spring semester made the eighth consecutive semester that the South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets had posted a team grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or higher.
“Despite an academic year that was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NJCAA student-athletes flourished in the classroom as 1,026 teams earned at least a 3.0 GPA or better,” reported the NJCAA national office.
“NJCAA student-athletes proved that no obstacle is too difficult to overcome,” stated NJCAA President & CEO Dr. Christopher Parker. “These difficulties pushed our student-athletes to the limit this year, but the opportunity to overcome these challenges presented itself and out student-athletes flourished academically. The association commends all individuals for their continued success on the playing surfaces and in the classrooms.”
Student-athletes were eligible to earn academic honors by achieving an overall GPA of 3.60 or higher for the 2019-2020 academic year. To be eligible for the first team, student-athletes had to earn a 4.0 GPA, second-team student athletes had a 3.80 – 3.99 GPA and third team athletes earned a 3.60 – 3.79 GPA. Over 9,500 student-athletes garnered All-Academic recognition for achieving a GPA above 3.6.
South Georgia Technical College’s Lady Jets finished the 2019 – 2020 basketball season with a perfect 17 – 0 conference record and a 30 – 2 overall record, which was the best win-loss record in the history of the college’s sports program despite being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lady Jets and head coach James Frey earned the right to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas, for their fourth consecutive year after securing the NJCAA Region XVII tournament victory and the District J Championship in South Carolina. They were ranked 14th in the nation in the NJCAA women’s basketball rankings last poll of the season prior to the cancellation of the NJCAA National Tournament scheduled in Lubbock Texas, March 17th – 21st.
This was the fourth consecutive year that the Lady Jets had earned the right to advance to the national tournament and the sixth in seven years for head coach James Frey. It would have been the seventh trip for the Lady Jets in the 15th year of the program’s history.