After sifting through numerous offers, Bryan County girls’ basketball all-stater Kayley Wedlow made her college decision known Monday when she signed a letter of intent to play at South Georgia Tech.
The Americus school offered her, she said, the best opportunity for immediate playing time and the best financial package while being close enough to home that her family and friends can see her play.
South Georgia is a two-year school that plays in the Georgia College Athletic Conference which is made up of state schools. The Jets have a history of seeing players move on to four-year schools. They were 21-11 this past season under first-year coach Jason Cameron who is also the athletic director.
Cameron was on hand for the signing as was assistant coach Olivia Melvin who played at Bryan County for Coach Mario Mincey. The Jets’ roster this past season included only one American with players hailing from seven foreign countries.
“She’s a special person and player,” Cameron said. “She can score and shoot the basketball. We love her character and she’s a tough kid. Having played for Coach Mincey we know she can handle the intensity of college basketball.
“It’s important for us, bringing in a player from a winning program,” Cameron said. “Coach Melvin had talked to Coach Mincey about her and she trusted his insight. We watched her on film and then saw her in six or seven games.”
Bryan County players as a whole are home grown and developed. Wedlow was a rarity in that she came into the program as a transfer. She played her freshman and sophomore years at Statesboro High School before making a move which proved to be beneficial for both parties.
This past season the Redskins won their first region championship since 2017, advanced to the Elite Eight and posted a 26-4 record which equaled the school mark for most wins in a season.
“Transferring to Bryan County my junior year was probably the best decision I ever made,” Wedlow said. “I had to take on a role I had never taken before. I had to be a leader when I came here. It was a big role for me.”
Mincey, who said he has known Wedlow “since she was 11 or 12 years old,” welcomed her with open arms but he also outlined his expectations and he said she lived up to them.
“It was a smooth transition for her and us,” Mincey said. “I knew what kind of kid she was and she fit right in with the other kids.
“The biggest thing in her coming here was to understand it’s a whole different situation of how we play. Even though you have talent in our program, everyone has a job. It’s not a one girl show. You have to distribute the ball…some nights you have to score, some nights you have to rebound, every night you have to play defense.”
This past season she averaged 17.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game. She was the Region 3A-DI Player of the Year for the second straight year while finishing with more than 1,000 points for her career.