GCSU men’s and women’s basketball teams have each entered the midway point of their respective seasons playing above expectations, with the women’s team overcoming preseason obstacles and the men’s team marching towards the Peach Belt Conference playoffs.
Beginning with the women’s team, Coach Catrina Green entered the season as the newly minted interim head coach, with several players either graduating or transferring. Green worked hard to put together a solid roster ahead of the 2025-2026 season.
“Expectations were to build consistency,” Green said. “Coming in with a very new group experience-wise and age-wise. I wanted to build consistency, start building a culture of winning habits, get some wins if they come, but definitely trying to build some consistency and confidence in kids that haven’t had the opportunity to showcase their skills.”
Transfers such as Celeste Scott from East Georgia State College, DeJanae Dennis-Cassanova from Cleveland State Community College, and Molly Burns from Peach Belt rival University of South Carolina-Aiken have added depth to the roster.
While incoming freshmen, such as Center Elizabeth Wynn, sharp-shooter Caroline Beavin, and the sister of Bailey Vick, Sloane Vick, have added a powerful first-year class to the squad.
“[I’m] excited about their growth,” Green said. “They’re willing to work and they trust me to help lead them. Super excited about the season that they’re having, and that years two, three and four are going to be really, really big for them.”
The team struggled to open the season, dropping the season-opener to Young Harris College 61-49 and losing the next three; however, while the team’s morale may have dwindled, things ticked up for the team come Nov. 25. Off of a 25-point, 18 rebound double-double from Wynn, making her the Zaxby’s Player of the Week, the Bobcat women’s basketball team collected their first win of the season over Mars Hill 67-63.
GCSU dropped its next three, including an overtime thriller loss to Middle Georgia State University 67-60. The Bobcats won their second of the season, 70-45, in an Education Day thriller in front of the big home crowd. The Bobcats won their next three of four, including their first conference victory over Georgia Southwestern State University 61-51.
The biggest win of the season came Jan. 14, defeating No. 18 Columbus State University 70-68, as Guard Deshona Gaither put up 18 points to steal the victory from the then number one team in the conference.
The Bobcats’ next women’s basketball game comes against the University of South Carolina-Beaufort in a Peach Belt Conference matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Bluffton, South Carolina.
The men’s team tells a different tale. The Bobcats entered the season losing one of their larger scorers in Zyair Greene; however, coach Ryan Aquino did not crumble underneath losing such a powerful offensive force, far from it.
“We just have to keep getting better every day, and that’ll get us to the goal at the end of the season: to be playing our best basketball,” Coach Aquino said.
Transfers C.J. Jones out of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Devin McClain have done a lot for the squad, while redshirt freshmen from the previous year, such as Cam James and Gabe Bolden, have stepped into clutch roles.
Aquino’s team opened up the season with a fierce 99-70 victory over Shorter University, stemming from three 12-point performances from Jones, Luke Krawczyk and Austin Mosby-Weems.
After losing the next two, the team then went on an unstoppable seven-game win streak, including four conference victories, with wins over Clayton State University, Middle Georgia State University, a 99-91 overtime victory over Augusta University—coming from a 42-point performance from Jones and an Education Day victory over the University of South Carolina-Beaufort.
“I think a big strength, these guys, the experience, the returners, the relationships that they’ve built, the trust that they’ve built,” Aquino said. “I think that’s been a big strength for us. The biggest thing we need to keep improving on. Early in the season, we were really strong offensively. I think our defense wasn’t all the way there, and I think we’re slowly getting there.”
The Bobcats played streakily, however, winning only three of their next 10. Building off two consecutive conference victories over Clayton State University and Middle Georgia State University, the Bobcats’ men’s basketball team looks to continue its win streak. The team matches up against the University of South Carolina-Beaufort on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Bluffton, South Carolina, as they march toward the Peach Belt playoffs.
