After a decade of dominance at South Georgia Technical College (SGTC), former Lady Jets head women’s basketball coach James Frey is set to join Jody Adams’ coaching staff ahead of the 2023-24 season, which will mark Adams’ second year with NM State.
“I have known Coach James for many years and coached several of his players, including All-American and professional player Angiee Tompkins.” said Coach Adams. “James is known for winning championships and building a culture of winning by landing recruits from all over the world. I have witnessed firsthand his love and genuine passion for each of his players over the last decade and how he relates to them in their own unique way.”
Since 2012, Frey has served as the athletic director and head women’s basketball coach at SGTC in Americus, Georgia. During that span, Frey has developed quite the resume, building one of the top junior college programs in the nation.
In 11 years with the Lady Jets, Frey has produced a 306-61 overall record with a 164-22 record in conference play, eight Southeast District Championships, six NJCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances, and two NJCAA elite eight appearances.
During that stretch, Frey earned himself the NJCAA Region 17 Coach of the Year seven times – including this past season – while also taking home the WBCA Two Year National Coach of the Year (2021) and WER National Coach of the Year (2023) awards for his teams’ success.
Frey’s teams are known for their high-level defense, which consistently rank amongst the best at the JUCO level. Frey’s team has ranked top-35 in scoring defense every year since being named head coach in 2012. Last season, the Lady Jets ranked eighth overall in scoring defense while also ranking 6th in opponent field goal percentage (32.4), 29th in opponent three-point percentage (26.0), 20th in blocks (1.8), and 28th in steals (6.9), which helped SGTC to 29-1 overall record and number one NJCAA ranking.
Since 2012, Frey has produced a dozen All-Americans, including former Aggie guard Moe Shida and recent signing Feme Sikuzani Masudi. Another notable All-American Frey coached is former Wichita State Shocker Angiee Tompkins, who played under coach Adams at WSU from 2016-2018. Tompkins currently plays professional basketball for the Rojas of the Mexico-LNBPF league.
Before coaching at SGTC, Frey was an associate head coach/recruiting coordinator at the College of Costal Georgia for both their men’s and women’s basketball programs. Frey served in this role for 21 years and oversaw all duties associated with each of the programs.
Frey Joins an Aggie squad that is coming off a historic season that saw them win their first postseason game in over 30 years. Frey’s experience and defensive prowess should fit right into the identity of Jody Adams’ team, which ranked number one in the Western Athletic Conference for defense last season. Frey will look to help Adams continue the previous season’s success into the next as they transition into their new home in Conference USA this fall.
