Three SGTC basketball players earn national recognition

March 4, 2026

SGTC Jets Matt Mbole (33), and Lady Jets Ja’Niya Broome (1), and Taja Bennett (4) were all recognized as individual leaders in the NJCAA Division 1 basketball standings this week.

South Georgia Technical College’s Matt Mbole, a 6’ 11” sophomore center for the Jets, is ranked first in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in rebounds for the third week in a row and Lady Jets freshman guard Ja’Niya Broome is listed as second in the NJCAA women’s Division 1 rankings in points per game for the third week in a row.

Lady Jets Sophomore guard Taja Bennett was also listed among the leading scorers in the NJCAA Division 1 women’s rankings.

Mbole, who is from Yaounde, Cameroon, is averaging 12.3 rebounds per game this season after 26 games. He has consistently remained in the top five in the nation. Jermaine Coston Jr., from Richard Bland College is in second place with an average of 12.2 rebounds over 21 games this season.

Mbole was joined in the national ranking list by Lady Jets freshman guard Ja’Niya Broome from Hamilton, GA, and sophomore guard Taja Bennett from Dallas, Texas.

In the NJCAA women’s Division 1 rankings, freshman guard Ja’Niya Broome is ranked 2^rd in the nation in points per game this season. She is averaging 23.1 points over 29 games. She is also listed as the GCAA Women’s Player of the Week for this week and last week.

Broome is .3 points behind Malasia Jamison from Denmark Technical College who is currently tops in the nation averaging 23.1 points per game. Broome’s teammate, sophomore Taja Bennett, 5’ 9” guard from Dallas, is currently ranked 20^th in the NJCAA in points per game. She is averaging 18.4 points over 29 games. She has been recognized as the GCAA Player of the Week in the women’s division 1 rankings three times.

Both the Jets and the Lady Jets will be advancing to the NJCAA Region XVII end of the season tournament. The Lady Jets captured the GCAA Regular Season Title with a 13 – 1 and 18 – 11 record. They will now be hosting the NJCAA Region XVII tournament on Thursday, March 12, and Friday, March 13 in the James S. Peters gymnasium beginning at 6 p.m.

The Jets are currently ranked third in the GCAA regular season and will be hosting a quarterfinal game in Americus on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. The Jets are 9 – 5 in the conference and 13 – 15 overall. They still have two regular season games before the tournament brackets can be finalized.

The Jets are on a three game winning streak and the Lady Jets have captured eight consecutive wins.