South Georgia Tech’s Esther Adenike named WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-American for 2018

South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets sophomore forward Esther Adenike from Lagos, Nigeria, was selected to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WCBA) Two-Year College women’s basketball All-American team for 2018. She helped lead the Lady Jets to the NJCAA Division I women’s national tournament last season and is hoping that the Lady Jets can return for a repeat performance this season. A win by the nationally ranked Lady Jets against Spartanburg Methodist in Spartanburg, SC, on Saturday at 2 p.m. will clinch the back to back trip to the nationals for the Lady Jets.
“We are really excited that the WBCA, which is an organization comprised of women’s basketball coaches, saw fit to honor Esther “Nike” Adenike as an All-American,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “I think this speaks of not just her work ethic and dedication to the sport but also to the type of person she is. If you spend any time around her, you know she always has a huge smile on her face and is thankful for every opportunity she has been given. She truly has made the most of her opportunity at South Georgia Technical College. I am so proud of her and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.”
Esther “Nike” Adenike, 6’ 2”, was selected as the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Player of the Year for 2017 – 2018. She helped lead the Lady Jets to a 27 – 5 overall record, their third consecutive GCAA Regular season title with a 17 – 1 conference record and their second consecutive NJCAA Region XVII tournament title. She was selected as the GCAA Player of the Week four times this season.
She and her teammates travel to Spartanburg, SC to face Spartanburg Methodist in the NJCAA District J Championship game on Saturday, March 10th at 2 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the NJCAA Division I women’s national basketball tournament in Lubbock, Texas, March 19th – 24th.
Adenike, is averaging 13.6 points per game for the Lady Jets and has earned national recognition in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) standings for rebounding, blocked shots, and field goal percentage shooting. She is the third best Division I rebounder in the NJCAA with a total of 318 so far this season. This is the second time in three years that SGTC has had the GCAA Division I women’s player of the year. Adenike has started all 32 games for the Lady Jets this season.
Adenike was a freshman member of the Lady Jets GCAA championship team that captured the NJCAA Region XVII tournament title as well as the District J championship and earned the right to participate in the NJCAA National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas in 2017. Last season, the Lady Jets finished among the top 16 teams in the nation and tied the South Georgia Technical College basketball record for the best record in a single season with a 30 – 5 overall performance.
“Our goal all season long has been to get back to the NJCAA National Tournament and finish better than we did last season,” said Coach Frey. “We have one more game before we earn the right to go back to the national tournament. We are excited to play another game. Each game from here on out is bigger and more important that the last.”
Shayla Bennett of Gulf Coast State College was the WBCA Two-Year College Player of the Year and headlined the 2018 WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-American team. She averaged 20.5 points, 2.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game and helped lead the Commodores to a 23 – 2 regular season record.
Only 10 players from around the country are named to the WBCA All-American team and Adenike was the only player from Georgia selected. “The 10 members of the 2018 WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-American team are deserving of this recognition, and the WBCA congratulates them for this accomplishments this season,” said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. “These young women have worked to elevate themselves and their teams to an elite level and through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have lifted the women’s game.”