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From Staff Reports

AMERICUS – South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets head basketball coach James Frey earned his 300^th career win as a head coach on February 16^th, 2023 in a 70 – 50 victory against Middle Georgia Prep. He was recognized during the SGTC Alumni-Sophomore Day activities by the SGTC Booster Club and SGTC President Dr. John Watford with a plaque and a basketball signed by administrators and members of the Lady Jets 2022 – 2023 team and coaching staff.

“We are extremely proud of Coach James Frey,” said SGTC President Dr. John Watford during the recognition ceremony.

“On behalf of South Georgia Technical College, I would like to present you with this signed basketball to commemorate this accomplishment.  We are very proud of you and the Lady Jets, which are currently ranked number one in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association.”

Jets Booster Club President Martha Arrington and members of the Jets Booster Club also recognized Coach Frey with a plaque and thanked him for his hard work and dedication to the Lady Jets. All 300 of his wins were earned during his 11-year tenure as the head coach of the Lady Jets.

Frey was named as the South Georgia Technical College head women’s basketball in 2012.  This was his first head coaching position.  He put together a 20 – 12 record that first season and advanced to the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Final Four in the end of the season tournament.

He recorded his first 100^th win in 2016 and his team finished the season ranked 17^th in the NJCAA nationally but failed to advance to the national tournament when they lost to Georgia Highlands 65 – 63 in the NJCAA Region 17 end of the season tournament.

Frey’s 200^th win came on November 20^th, 2019 after starting his eighth season as head coach of the Lady Jets.  He also has had three unbeaten conference seasons.  The Lady Jets recorded the first unbeaten conference record in 2018 – 2019 with an 18 – 0 performance.  They followed up again in 2019 – 2020 with an unbeaten 17 – 0 conference record and then posted another unbeaten conference record at 15 – 0 this year.

During his 11-years with the Lady Jets, Frey has compiled a 302 – 60 overall record and 164 – 22 GCAA record.  He has led the Lady Jets to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament in nine of the 11 years he has served as head coach.  He has also been named GCAA Coach of the Year seven times and won the GCAA conference title seven times.  This season will be the seventh straight year that the Lady Jets have earned the right to participate in the national tournament and the 10^th overall.

Frey was recognized as the 2021 United States Marine Corps/WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) Two-Year College National Coach of the Year and the WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week in 2022 from the JUCO division.  He also one of four finalists for the 2020 NJCAA Division I World Exposure Women’s Basketball College Coach of the Year.

The SGTC Lady Jets earned the top spot in the NJCAA national rankings this season and has remained the top ranked team for the past seven weeks.  They are currently ranked number one prior to the NJCAA National Tournament which will be held in Lubbock, TX March 22^nd – 27^th, 2023.  SGTC had climbed as high as second nationally but this is the first time either the Jets or the Lady Jets have earned the top ranking.  The Lady Jets have been ranked in the top 10 spots for all fifteen weeks of the poll.

Frey came to South Georgia Technical College from the College of Coastal Georgia where he was the associate basketball coach for 17 years under head coach Gerald Cox.  His last season at Coastal Georgia, he worked as Assistant Women’s Coach in their inaugural Lady Mariners team.  He worked for the College of Coastal Georgia for 20 years as a recruiter and in various coaching positions.

During his tenure at SGTC, Frey has been assisted by eight different coaches including current Jets Head Coach Chris Ballauer, former Jets payer Demetrius Colston, Taylor Allen, Kezia Conyers, Cierra Edwards and former Lady Jets Esther Adenike.  His current assistant coaches are: Olivia Melvin and former Lady Jet Ricka Jackson.

Frey is only the second coach in the 19-year history of the women’s basketball program at SGTC.  Brandon Harrell, current women’s basketball coach at Georgia Highlands College began the program in 2004 – 2005.  He left to start the women’s program at Georgia Highlands.  His Lady Chargers squad finished second in the nation in 2021 – 2022.