Seated L-R #5 Hayda Toro, #23 Jamiah Gregory, #11 Maria Favero, #24 Enola Papin, #30 Mio Sakano, #3 Kaiya Carter, #2 Kayley Wedlow Standing L-R Head Coach Jason Carpenter, Athletics Assistant Terri Battle, #1 Cheyenne Preston, #15 Sandra Onyinye, #22 Glory Kaine, #21 Mariia Ignatchenko, #13 Staphie Salumu, #12 Duilly Silva, Assistant Coach Olivia Melvin, Manager Davionne Gordon
South Georgia Technical College was the first college in the Technical College System of Georgia to offer intercollegiate athletics. South Georgia Technical College is a Division I member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA). The college offers both men’s and women’s intercollegiate basketball programs. The nickname for the athletics teams are Jets and Lady Jets. The mascot is ACE.
The Lady Jets program began in 2004 and Brandon Harrell was the first head coach for the NJCAA Division I Lady Jets. He was followed by James Frey who served as head coach from the 2013 to the 2023 season.
Jason Carpenter is the Athletic Director and head coach for the Lady Jets. Olivia Melvin is the assistant coach.
The Jets and the Lady Jets programs are both nationally recognized. The Lady Jets have made five appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament. Less than six years after the program began, Coach Harrell took the team to the NJCAA national playoffs in 2010. Coach James Frey took the team back to the national tournament in 2014 and again in 2015. They returned again in 2017, 2018, 2019 and were set to return again in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the tournament. The ladies returned to the national tournament once again in 2021, 2022 and after spending 9 weeks ranked #1 in the nation, in 2023. The Lady Jets were ranked among the top 16 teams in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2021 and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2015 & 2023.
South Georgia Technical College has had 15 female basketball players and 6 Jets named to the NJCAA All-American status since 2001. Two of the 15 female players are 2-time award winners. Those individuals include Lady Jets: Alexia Dizeko (2021 – 2022) & (2022 – 2023); Fanta Gassama (2021 – 2022) & (2022-2023); Moe Shida (2020 – 2021); Shamari Tyson (2019 – 2020); Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din (2019 – 2020); Alyssa Nieves (2018 – 2019); Esther Aderinto (2017 – 2018); Desiree Corbin (2016 – 2017); Angela Tompkins (2015 – 2016); TaQuandra Mike (2014 – 2015); Shamekia “Polly” Murray (2013 – 2014); Shontae McCall (2011 – 2012); Ophelia McMath (2010 – 2011); Deatric Smith (2009 – 2010) and Alice Holmes (2007 – 2008).