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From Staff Reports

ATLANTA – South Georgia Technical College sophomore forward Alexia Dizeko is the 2023 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Two-Year College Player of the Year and headlines the WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-America team.

The WBCA presents the Player of the Year award annually to the top player in five of the six WBCA membership divisions (NCAA Divisions II, and III, NAIA, two-year college and high school). A committee of WBCA member coaches in that division selects the Player of the Year and the 10-member Coaches’ All-America team in each division. The Wade Trophy is presented to the best player in NCAA Division I.

“The WBCA is pleased to name Alexia Dizeko as the 2023 WBCA Two-Year College Player of the Year,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “She is most deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Alexia for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game during the 2022-23 season.”

Fanta Gassama, a sophomore center, for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) top-ranked Lady Jets joined Dizeko as a member of the 2023 WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-Americans.  Luana Leite, a sophomore guard, for the Lady Jets earned WBCA Two-Year Honorable Mention All-American status.

The Lady Jets are currently ranked as the top NJCAA Division I Women’s basketball team in the nation and have a 32 – 1 overall record.  They will advance to the NCJAA National Tournament at Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas, March 22^nd – 27^th.

South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey is very excited that Alexia Dizeko was selected as the WBCA Player of the Year and also pleased that he had three players recognized as WBCA All-Americans or Honorable Mention All-Americans.  “This is an honor for our program and for each of these young ladies.”

 

Alexia Dizeko, 5’ 11” from Sion, Switzerland, was a WBCA and NJCAA 2^nd team All-American in 2022. She has been selected as the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Player of the Year for 2023 and was a GCAA first team player.

She helped lead the Lady Jets to the first number one ranking in the NJCAA for either the men’s or women’s basketball programs.  The Lady Jets have held the top spot for nine-consecutive weeks and maintained the top-ranking in the NJCAA National Tournament Selection process.  They will take on the winner of the 16^th Barton College (28 – 5) and 17^th seeded Moberly Area (28 – 3) teams at 3 p.m. eastern on Thursday, March 23 in the Sweet Sixteen round of play at the National Tournament.

Dizeko is leading the Lady Jets in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game.  She has started 30 of 31 games this season.  She is hitting 54.8 percent of her field goal attempts and 31.8 of her three-point shots.  She is an 80% shooter from the foul line.  In addition to her scoring ability, she averaged 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists 2.1 steals and .6 blocks each game.

Her teammate Fanta Gassama, 6’ 1” center from Mataro, Spain, averages 13.4 points per game for the Lady Jets and has started 26 of 28 games.  She is shooting 51.6 from the field and 72.6 from the foul line.   She is the leading rebounder for the Lady Jets averaging 13.1 per game. She averages 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals as well as one block per outing.  Gassama was a WBCA and NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American in 2022.

Luana Leite, 5’ 7” guard from Sao Paola, Brazil, made the WBCA Honorable Mention All-American team for 2023.  She was the GCAA Defensive Player of the Year for 2023 and on the GCAA Second team as well as the NJCAA Region XVII Tournament first team for 2023.

Leite averages 11.4 points per game for the Lady Jets.  She is a 53.9 percent shooter from the field and a 46.4 percent three-point shooter.  She makes 77.5% of her free throw attempts.  She averages 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 steals each game.

The complete list of individuals who made the 2023 WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-American list include:

 

Name	Institution
Princess Anderson	Pratt Community College
Alexia Dizeko	South Georgia Technical College
Fanta Gassama	South Georgia Technical College
Deajanae Harvey	Palomar College
Waiata Jennings	Collin College
Tasia Jordan	Kirkwood Community College
Marie Kenembeni	Angelina College
Emily Strachan	Central Maine Community College
Shaulana Wagner	Wabash Valley College
Sakyia White	Jones College

“We congratulate remaining members of the 2023 WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-America team as well,” said Donehew. “These young women have worked to elevate their teams and themselves to an elite level of competition. Through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have also lifted the women’s game.”

Here are the student-athletes who received 2023 WBCA Two-Year College Coaches’ All-America honorable mention:

 

Name	Institution
Alyssa Berry	Hill College
En’Dya Buford	Jones College
Monique Cavness	Las Positas College
Mackenzie Hart	Johnson County Community College
Ashley Hawkins	Cypress College
Olivia Hayenga	Minnesota West Community & Technical College
Nyla Inmon	Kilgore College
Kaila Kelley	Trinity Valley Community College
Luana Leite	South Georgia Technical College
Ma’Kaila Lewis	Kilgore College
Destinee McDowell	Trinity Valley Community College
LuLu Salloom	College of the Canyons
Meloney Thames	Jones College
Alyssia Thorne	Kilgore College
Delma Zita	New Mexico Junior College

About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.