Staff Reports
AMERICUS, Ga. – Two standout players from the South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets basketball program have been named NJCAA All-American Honorable Mentions for the 2024–2025 season.
Sophomore point guard Mio Sakano of Yamanashi, Japan, and freshman guard Jamiah Gregory of Marietta, Georgia, were recognized for their outstanding performances on the court this season. It marks only the third time in the program’s 20-year history that two players have received All-American honors in the same year.
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“I’m happy for and proud of Mio and Jamiah to be recognized by the NJCAA for their play this season,” said SGTC Athletic Director and Head Coach Jason Carpenter. “Being named an All-American is a big deal—for them and for the entire team. Recognition like this is as much about team success as it is about individual effort.”
The Lady Jets finished the season with a 27–5 record and were ranked No. 22 in the final NJCAA Division I women’s basketball poll. They captured the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) regular-season title and the NJCAA Region XVII championship, earning a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament in Casper, Wyoming.
There, they faced the No. 11 seed and defending national champion Hutchinson Community College in the opening round. The Lady Jets fell in the final seconds, losing by just three points.
Gregory, a 5-foot-10 freshman, led the Lady Jets in scoring with 494 points and started all 32 games. She shot 45.3% from the field, 22.2% from three-point range, and 62% from the free-throw line. Gregory also totaled 197 rebounds, 64 assists, 89 steals, and 11 blocks. She was one of only 11 freshmen nationwide to earn All-American recognition among 50 players selected.
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Sakano, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, was the team’s second-leading scorer with 473 points. She also started all 32 games and shot 41.9% from the field, 32.1% from three, and 77.1% from the free-throw line. Sakano added 165 rebounds, 131 assists, 69 steals, and three blocks.
As a freshman in 2023–2024, Sakano started 28 of 29 games and tallied 400 points. She shot 51.9% from the field, 19.5% from three, and 73% from the free-throw line while contributing 158 rebounds, 101 assists, and 44 steals.
This year marked the Lady Jets’ first trip to the NJCAA National Tournament under Coach Carpenter. It was the program’s 11th appearance overall. Former head coach James Frey led the team to nine appearances, and Brandon Harrell, who launched the program in 2004, guided them once.
South Georgia Tech previously had two All-Americans in one season in 2019–2020 and again in 2021–2022. In 2019–2020, Shamari Tyson was named to the second team, and Yasriyyah Wazeerud-Din earned honorable mention. Both were also recognized by World Exposure, with Tyson earning third-team honors and Wazeerud-Din again receiving honorable mention. That year’s squad posted a 30–2 record and reached the Sweet Sixteen.
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In 2021–2022, freshman forward Alexia Dizeko from Switzerland was named a second-team All-American, and freshman center Fanta Gassama from Spain earned honorable mention. That team finished with a 27–7 record and reached the NJCAA Sweet Sixteen.
“I’m very proud of this year’s team,” Carpenter said. “We came into the season with only three returners and ten freshmen. I thought we had a chance to go deeper at the national tournament, but now is when champions are made. We’ll get started preparing for next season.”
