South Georgia Tech’s All-American Adenike signs with George Mason

May 10, 2018

SGTC’s Esther “Nike” Adenike (c) is shown above signing a national letter of intent to play basketball at George Mason University. She is flanked by SGTC Assistant Coach Kezia Conyers (l) and SGTC head coach James Frey (r).

South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets NJCAA first team All-American sophomore forward Esther “Nike” Adenike from Lagos, Nigeria, has signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
“We are extremely happy for ‘Nike,’” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “This has been a huge week for her personally. She was an honor graduate Tuesday night and now signing with George Mason. She has worked very hard to achieve both of these goals. Finishing with a 3.7 GPA is a testament to her work ethic and determination. George Mason is getting a great young lady who will represent them well both on the court and in the classroom. She was very deserving of all the accolades she received this year.
“Now it is time for her to put all that behind her and focus on being the best she can be for Coach Milleson,” continued Frey. “Nike overcame so much adversity to just get to America and to see her take advantage of the opportunity is what makes this job so rewarding. Biola Shamola, back in Nigeria, was a huge help in getting her here and never gave up on her. It took us two years to get her through the embassy but every bit of it is worth it now. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her at Mason. She will definitely be missed on our campus.”
Georgia Mason University finished the 2017-2018 season with a 24 – 10 record, set the school record for most wins, and finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 for their best conference finish in 14 years. The Lady Patriots made the postseason tournament for the first time since 2004. They advanced to the second round of the WNIT, defeating Stephen F. Austin in the first round for their first postseason victory in program history. George Mason University has an enrollment of approximately 34,000 students.
Esther “Nike” Adenike is excited about the opportunity to play at George Mason next season. “I have really enjoyed my time at South Georgia Technical College but I am looking forward to making the next step and playing with George Mason. I think it will be a good fit for me,” said Nike.
The sophomore forward was a standout at South Georgia Technical College. She helped lead the 2017-2018 Lady Jets to their second consecutive NJCAA National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas. The Lady Jets finished the season with a 29 – 6 overall record and were one of the top 16 women’s Division I NJCAA women’s basketball teams in the nation.
In addition to being a first team NJCAA Division I All-American, Adenike earned NJCAA All-Tournament team honors for her performance on the courts at the NJCAA Women’s National Basketball Tournament in Lubbock, Texas. She was also selected as an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WCBA) for 2018 and was the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Player of the Year for 2017 – 2018. She helped lead the Lady Jets their third consecutive GCAA regular season title with a 17 – 1 conference record, their second consecutive NJCAA Region XVII tournament title, the second NJCAA Division J Championship and their fourth appearance in the national tournament in five years. She was also selected as the GCAA Player of the Week four times this season.
The 6’ 2” forward averaged 13.6 points per game for the Lady Jets during the regular season and has earned national recognition in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) standings for rebounding, blocked shots, and field goal percentage shooting. She was the third best Division I rebounder in the NJCAA with a total of 318 during the regular season. Adenike started all 35 games for the Lady Jets this season.