East Georgia State College Women’s Basketball Team makes history; named GCAA State Champions: Lady Bobcats move on to NJCAA Division 1 Tournament

The East Georgia State College (EGSC) Women’s Basketball Team made history this weekend after being crowned the 2024 Region 17 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Women’s Basketball Champions! This is the first women’s team in the College’s history to win the GCAA Championship.

The Lady Bobcats will now travel to Wyoming for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championship. The six-day event comprising 24 teams will be held in Casper, Wyoming, from March 26 to April 1, 2024.

“This team has been a joy to coach this year. They work hard, compete relentlessly, believe in themselves and each other, and are active listeners. They truly deserve to reap the benefits of their labor. I’m so proud of them,” said Theo Howard, head women’s basketball coach and EGSC Athletic Director.

EGSC hosted the GCAA Women’s Basketball Conference Tournament this past weekend in Swainsboro after securing the number one seed and going undefeated in conference play. On Saturday, March 16, EGSC defeated the Central Georgia Technical College Titans to claim the title. The final score was 76 to 44.

The Lady Bobcats ended the regular season ranked 22nd in the NJCAA national poll and received the 15th seed for the NJCAA Tournament. The team will play the 18th seed, Dodge City Community College, on March 26.

Anyone interested in watching the NJCAA Tournament can watch it on the NJCAA Network (njcaa.org/network). The first round will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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“This is a dynamite team to watch, and we are so proud of their accomplishments. EGSC is on the women’s basketball map because of this group of student-athletes,” said Dr. David Schecter, EGSC President.

Recently, EGSC’s Head Women’s Basketball Coach Theo Howard was voted the GCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Charlese “Tree” McClendon was named the GCAA Freshmen of the Year, and D’Mya Griffin was voted the GCAA Women’s Player of the Year. Griffin was also named the 2024 All-Tournament Team MVP, and Aniyah Jones was named to the 2024 All-Tournament Team.

To follow along with the team, visit the EGSC social media pages: East Georgia State College on Facebook, @eastgeorgiastatecollege on Instagram, and @EastGaCollege on X (Twitter).

About the NJCAA:

Since 1938, the NJCAA has served as the nation’s premier governing body for two-year collegiate athletics, providing student-athletes opportunities to PREPARE, COMPETE, SUCCEED and ACHIEVE in their academic and athletic disciplines. The NJCAA is the second-largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States, with over 500 member schools in 44 states. Each year over 3,400 teams compete in 28 different sports across multiple divisions in the NJCAA and the organization sponsors 52 national championship events and sanctioned football bowl games.

For more information, visit NJCAA.org.