South Georgia Technical College had two sophomores from its record setting 2019 – 2020 Lady Jets women’s basketball team to be selected to the 2019 -2020 National Junior College Athletic Association All-American teams.
Shamari Tyson and Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din were both recognized as members of the elite women’s basketball players from the National Junior College Athletic Association. Only 50 players earned this honor. Shamari Tyson was listed as a second team All-American and Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din was an Honorable Mention All-American.
“This is the first time that South Georgia Technical College has ever had two players in one season to be recognized as NJCAA All-Americans,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “That is a record for the men’s and the women’s basketball teams so it is quite an honor for these two outstanding players and for the college and the athletic program.”
Both Tyson and Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din were honored earlier this year as members of the World Exposure NJCAA Division I All-American teams. Tyson was a third-team All-American in that poll and Wazeerud-Din was an Honorable Mention.
South Georgia Technical College, Central Arizona, Northwest Florida State, and Trinity Valley were the only colleges with two nominations. These four colleges were fortunate enough to have two of the best players in the nation on their 2019 – 2020 rosters and only 42 other two-year colleges were fortunate to have one player selected. There are currently 417 NJCAA women’s basketball programs across the country operating at either the NJCAA D1, D2 or D3 level. There are 186 colleges competing in the DI level in the NJCAA and nearly 2500 student-athletes vying for this honor.
“I am very excited Shamari and Yazz and South Georgia Tech,” continued Coach Frey. “I think both of these young ladies are very deserving. They have worked incredibly hard on their games, are fantastic students, and represent us very well on campus and in the community. I have no doubts that they will both be very successful at their next schools.
“I think this also speaks to our administration’s support and dedication to our young people. These student-athletes have a wonderful environment to mature and grow in all aspects of their lives,” explained Frey. “I am proud to be associated with this type of college and this caliber of student-athletes.”
In 2018, only 1.2 percent of women’s basketball players at the high school level went on to compete at a D1 college. Meanwhile, 7.8 percent of junior college basketball players transferred to a D1 women’s basketball program that same year. South Georgia Technical College’s percentage was much higher. Last season 100% of the Lady Jets were able to continue their student-athletic career at D1 or D3 levels and Coach Frey is hoping for that same type of statistic again this year.
“Right now we have several other sophomores who are on the verge of signing scholarships to play at the next level,” said Frey. “Both Shamari Tyson and Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din had multiple offers and I expect Anna McKendree, Nyla Goudelock, Oumy Gueye and Amara Edeh to finalize their plans in the next few weeks.”
Tyson and Wazeerud-Din and the other four sophomore’s helped lead the Lady Jets to a record setting 30 – 2 overall record as well as the program’s fifth consecutive Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association regular season championship, fourth straight NJCAA Region XVII Tournament title, and fourth consecutive District J championship. The Lady Jets also earned the right to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas. However, the tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Shamari Tyson of Fort Wayne, IN, transferred to South Georgia Technical College from SE Illinois College for her sophomore season. She was a third team NJCAA All-American in 2019 and earned the NJCAA second team All-American honors this season for her performance on the court. She was also selected as the overall GCAA Player of the Year, and won the GCAA Player of the week nomination four different times.
She is third in the nation for three-point percentage shooting (47.2), 19th in the nation for three-point shooting (85 of 180), 20th in steals (91), 9th in assists (170), and fifth in turnover ratio (3.0). Tyson averaged 24 minutes per game and averaged 14.4 points per game. She hit 83% of her free throw shots, averaged 5.5 rebounds per game and 5.5 assists each outing. She also had 2.9 steals per game.
Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din, a 5’ 11’ sophomore guard from Marietta, Georgia, has been with South Georgia Technical College and Coach James Frey for two seasons. As a sophomore, she helped lead the Lady Jets to back-to-back undefeated Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association seasons. The Lady Jets were 35 – 0 in the conference in 2018 – 2020.
This season Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din was the leading scorer for the Lady Jets averaging 15.1 points per game. She is a 75% free throw shooter, hits 50% of her three point attempts and averaged over 20 minutes per game on the court this season.
In addition to her scoring ability, Wazeerud-Din also accounted for six rebounds a game along with three assists and three steals each outing. Both Wazeerud-Din and Tyson were listed as GCAA All-Academic team members for the 2019 – 2020 season.
For a complete list of the NJCAA Women’s Division I All-Americans visit: https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wbkb/2019-20/div1/all-americans/index