Lady Jets move up to 21st in NJCAA national poll

November 25, 2019

Four Lady Jets ranked in the NJCAA national statistics for rebounds, field goal percentage shooting, assists, and steals. Shown (l to r) are Femme Sikuzani (34), Shamari Tyson (1), Niya Goudelock (3), and Anna McKendree (14).

The South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets moved up three spots into 21st in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national rankings this week following an impressive 87 – 65 conference victory over Georgia Highlands College. That was Lady Jets head coach James Frey’s 200th win as a head coach and the Lady Jets are currently 6 – 1 overall and 3 – 0 in the conference.

The Lady Jets were ranked 24th in the pre-season national poll. The Lady Jets have been to the NJCAA Women’s National Basketball Tournament in Lubbock, Texas for the past three years and five times in the past six years under head coach James Frey. They went to the national tournament once under former head coach Brandon Harrell.

Gulf Coast is currently ranked first in the nation with a 5 – 0 record. They are followed by South Plains and Trinity Valley, both of Texas with 8 – 0 records and Northwest Florida State with a 7 – 0 record. Shelton State from Alabama is currently 5th with a 6 – 0 record. Only two of the remaining 20 teams in the NJCAA top 25 national poll have undefeated seasons. Cochise from Arizona is ranked 20th with a 7 – 0 record and Redlands, OK, is 24th with a 10 – 0 record. South Georgia Technical College is the only Georgia college to be included in the rankings.

“Obviously we are excited to be included in the national rankings, but this is still early in the season,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “We recognize that we have a lot of growing to do to be able to earn another trip to the national tournament and more importantly to do well once we earn the right to go.”

The Lady Jets have a number of talented players this season including four returning players plus two transfer sophomores and six freshmen. One of those freshmen has already begun to make a name for herself on the national stage.

Freshman center Femme Sikuzani from Goma, DRC, is currently one of four Lady Jets who are ranked nationally for their performances on the court. Femme Sikuzani, 6’ 5”, is currently ranked 10th in the NJCAA in rebounds per game. She is averaging 12.9 per game over the past seven games this season. She is listed as 10th in the nation in offensive rebounds with an average of 5.7 per game and 16th in the nation in defensive rebounds with 7.1 per outing. She has a total of 90 rebounds which has her at 13th in the nation in total rebounds. And her offensive rebounding skills has allowed her to earn the 48th spot in the nation in field goal percentage shooting. She is hitting 57.1 percent of her shots.

In addition to Femme Sikuzani, three other members of the Lady Jets have gained national attention for their aggressive offensive and defensive skills. Sophomore transfer Shamari Tyson, who transferred in from Southeastern Illinois College, this season is currently 8th in the nation in assists per game with an average of 6.3. Another sophomore transfer, Niya Goudelock from Limestone University, is currently 39th in the nation with an average of 4.7 assists per outing.

Returning sophomore Anna McKendree from Flowery Branch, GA, is the other Lady Jet to break into the national statistics. She is currently 23rd in the nation in steals. She is averaging 3.6 per game.

The Lady Jets will be hosting the Lady Jets Thanksgiving Classic in the Hangar on November 29th – 30th. The Lady Jets will face Spartanburg Methodist at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 29th and then take on Florida State College at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 30th.