“A special year for the players and the supporters,” was the way South Georgia Technical College Jets Booster Club President Martha Arrington summed up the 2024 – 2025 basketball season for the Jets and Lady Jets at the Booster Club Awards/Recognition banquet held in the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center on the Americus campus recently.
SGTC Booster Club President Martha Arrington is shown above welcoming everyone to the SGTC Jets Booster Club Recognition Banquet.
“Our Lady Jets worked very hard and made it all the way to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament in Casper, Wyoming. They gave it their all against the defending 2024 national champion Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons and it was a thriller to the end. We lost by three points but I believe that if we had thirty seconds more, we could have gone to the final four,” said Arrington.
“Our Jets came up short this season, but played well against some very good teams. They did make it to the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs and we are already looking forward to seeing how they are going to fly next year.”
Arrington thanked the coaches, players, faculty, staff, and supporters who helped make this past season possible. “The athletic program at South Georgia Tech is special. The Hangar is a nice facility but it is the team spirit and the spirit of the college and the people in this room that make it special. Thank you for your support of the program. Thank you, athletes, for being leaders on the court and for the work you put in day in and out in the classroom and on the court.”
Jets head coach Chris Ballauer
The Lady Jets finished the season with a 14 – 1 conference record, the GCAA title, and the NJCAA Region XVII tournament title. They advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament for the 11th time in 20-years. This was the first trip for second year Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach Jason Carpenter. The Lady Jets went once under the founding Lady Jets coach Brandon Harrell and nine times under former head coach James Frey.
They finished the year with a 25 – 7 overall record and set several new records for the program. The Lady Jets led the GCAA in every offensive category but one. They had the top four scorers in the conference and gave up the fewest points. They were ranked 7th in the nation in offensive production, 6th in country in rebounds and sixth defensively. They set a record for the most steals in a game (37), most field goals made in a game (54), and most points in a single season (136), which beat the old record of 112 points. Sophomore Enola Papin set a record for the most three-pointers in a single season (94). The old record was 86.
“Overall this was a very impressive season for the Lady Jets,” said SGTC Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Carpenter. “We only had three true sophomores on this team, so we were young, but we were still able to accomplish many of our goals. We set the bar high at the beginning of the season but we really had even higher expectations.”
The Lady Jets had six players named to the GCAA All-Conference team during the season. They also had four players named to the GCAA first-team All-Region squad, which was another first. Freshman Jamiah Gregory was selected as the GCAA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Sophomores Enola Papin and Mio Sakano were first-team All-Region and freshman Stephie Salumu was first team All-Region and Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Sophomore Mio Sakano was the NJCAA Region XVII tournament Most Valuable Player and freshman Kaiya Carter was on the All-Tournament team.
Coach Carpenter believes this season was a step in the right direction for the Lady Jets. “We grew a lot this year. We started the season 9 – 5 in the first semester but were 16 – 2 in the second semester to wind up 25 – 7 and ranked 22nd in the nation. We did end the season sooner that we would have liked but we had lots of growth that we can build upon for next year.”
The Jets closed out the season with a 12 – 19 overall record but did earn a NJCAA Region XVII tournament end of the season appearance as the fourth-place team in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association regular season. They were coached by Chris Ballauer and Assistant Coach Ray Johnson. “We had a rough start and didn’t finish where we had hoped but this team never quit fighting,” said Ballauer.
The Jets did not have a home game until the end of November and they were also young with 13 freshmen and only two sophomores. “This was my fourth season as head coach and despite the overall record I felt like it was my best coaching performance. When you start the season 0 – 13 or 1 – 13, most kids quit,” said Ballauer. “but this group never did and it really showed toward the end of the season.”
The Jets had three players spotlighted by the GCAA. Hendrens Bartelus was selected to the GCAA Division 1 All-Defensive team and to the All-Freshman team. His teammates, Jalex Ewing and Aiden Fitzgerald were both named to the GCAA All-Region Honorable Mention team.
“We had a lot of ups and downs this season but it was exciting to see this group of guys grow. I look forward to next year and seeing these young men continue to grow and fulfill their dreams,” added Ballauer.
Booster Club President Martha Arrington told the Jets and Lady Jets players she believes the players have “bright futures and wishes them much success ahead.” She also introduced SGTC Booster Club Vice President Doug Goodin was the incoming Booster Club President for the 2025 – 2026 season, effective July 1, 2025. She also encouraged everyone to support him and the Jets and Lady Jets.