South Georgia Tech’s James Frey and Esther Adenike selected as GCAA Coach and Player of the Year for 2017 – 2018
![SGTC Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey was named the Division I GCAA Coach of the Year for 2017 – 2018 and Esther Adenike (24) was selected as the GCAA Player of the Year. Houlfat Mahouchiza (5) was named to the GCAA 2nd team, All-Conference squad.](https://www.southgatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Frey_Nike_Houlfat-2-18.jpg)
South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets head basketball coach James Frey was selected as the women’s Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Division I Coach of the Year for 2017 – 2018 and sophomore forward Esther Adenike was selected as the Player of the Year, announced GCAA Commissioner David Elder. SGTC’s sophomore forward Houlfat Mahouchiza was also recognized as a member of the second team GCAA All-Conference team for Region XVII.
“I am so thrilled that the coaches in our league think so highly of Nike and Houlfat,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “They are true examples of what not just a student athlete should be on and off the court but as young ladies and others see that. Nike has had a long difficult road to this point. She’s persevered through a lot of family tragedy and never stopped pursuing her dream of getting a college degree in America. She works extremely hard and really cares about her teammates, coaches and South Georgia Tech. Her dedication is evident in the way she plays the game.”
Coach Frey also singled out Houlfat Mahouchiza. “Houlfat has been good since the day she walked on campus. She is so versatile and athletic that the game comes easy to her. This hasn’t been a particularly easy year for Houlfat on a personal level, so she has had to really work on being focused and finishing what she started. She’s a long way from her home in France and that’s not always easy. I’m proud of how she represents us every day.”
The GCAA Coach of the Year also went on to spotlight the other members of the Lady Jets 2017 – 2018 squad. “This is a special group of young ladies. They have all worked extremely hard this year and in a sense, they helped make all three of these awards possible by following the examples of Nike and Houlfat. I appreciate each of them and now we just have to finish the drill and win the NJCAA Region XVII tournament and the District J game to make it back to the National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas,” said Frey.
This is the fourth time in the past five seasons that Coach Frey has been singled out as the Division I women’s basketball GCAA Coach of the Year and the fourth consecutive GCAA Division I regular season title for the Lady Jets. Coach Frey and the Lady Jets have also qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I women’s national tournament three times in his six years as head coach at South Georgia Tech.
Adenike, a 6’ 2” sophomore from Lagos, Nigeria, 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.
Esther has started 29 games for the Lady Jets this season and helped lead them to a 25 – 5 overall record as well as to their third consecutive first place finish in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association regular season standings with a 17 – 1 conference performance.
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. 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. The Lady Jets must win the NJCAA Region XVII Tournament as well as the District J play in game to qualify for the NJCAA National Tournament again this season.
As the GCAA Player of the Year for 2017 – 2018, Adenike is also a member of the GCAA first team All Conference squad. She was joined by her teammate sophomore Houlfat Mahouchiza, from Nice, France who was listed as a second team GCAA All-Conference player.
Mahouchiza, 6’ 1” forward, started 27 of the Lady Jets 30 games this season. She is averaging 11.1 points per game and shooting 47.9% from the field as well as 82.8 percent from the foul line. She is ranked nationally in rebounding, blocks and free throw percentage shooting.
As the GCAA top-ranked team, the SGTC Lady Jets will host the NJCAA Region XVII tournament on Friday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd. The winner of the Central Georgia Tech – Atlanta Metro Game on Tuesday will host the winner of the Georgia Highlands – Andrew College game at 5:30 p.m. in the Hangar on the Americus campus on Friday, March 2nd. South Georgia Tech will play the winner of the East Georgia State – Albany Tech game on Friday, March 2nd at 7:30 p.m. The two winners will meet in the NJCAA Region XVII final game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 3rd.