Memorial Day’s Jalynn Brown helped lead a six-player Matador team to a state title. St. Andrew’s School Ja’Cari Glover helped the Lions reach back-to-back state title games and set a program record with 32 double-doubles. Here are their stories on reaching the next level.
Memorial Day’s Jalynn Brown becomes the first girls' basketball signee in school history.
Memorial Day School senior Jalynn Brown is the kind of player that championship teams are made of.
Matadors coach Emon Grayson believes it after Brown was one of the only six players available who helped capture the first state crown in the girls basketball program’s history in February.
Georgia Southern University – East Georgia Campus women’s basketball coach John Hines can see new recruit Brown being an important part of the future in Swainsboro. Formerly a junior college called East Georgia State, the Golden Eagles' athletic program was approved last month for NAIA membership.
(Memorial Day School senior Jalynn Brown holds an East Georgia Golden Eagles jersey during her college signing ceremony May 8, 2026, in Savannah, Ga. Photo by Lens By Shaunce for Prep Sports Report.)
“When we left there (NJCAA), we left winning championships, so that’s not going to stop,” Hines said on Friday at Memorial Day School. “We’re going to continue to win championships. With her signing today, she just added another piece to our puzzle.”
Brown, a 5-foot-8 guard who played three years for the Matadors, on Friday became the first Memorial Day girls athlete to sign to play college basketball, the school said.
“It feels good. I cannot believe I was the first one,” Brown said after the signing ceremony. “It’s exciting.”
She had other offers but liked staying close to home, a feeling confirmed when she visited the campus.
“It just felt like family when I got there and I toured the school,” Brown said. “They said they would treat me like family, and I felt that.”
Brown, when talking about “firsts” of signing and of winning a state title, added in her speech to schoolmates gathered at the signing ceremony that “Academics is always first, so remember you are student before you are an athlete.”
She later said that’s how she balances school and sports. It’s never a question which is the priority. Brown said GSU-East Georgia Campus is strong in both aspects.
“GSU also has a supportive environment, a competitive basketball program and a commitment to student success, making it the perfect place for me to continue developing my skills and reaching my goals as a student-athlete,” she said at the podium during the ceremony.
Hines noted that a lot of colleges don’t recruit in smaller areas or at smaller schools like Memorial. As a result, players can be overlooked. The Golden Eagles program changed that.
He saw video of her games, and when the Matadors won the GIAA Class A title, “it made her more valuable to me as a player,” Hines said.
“She has the grades, she has the talent and she’s athletic,” Hines said. “What we saw in her is her grit, her grind and her toughness. Watching her career, she just got better each year. That’s what you have to do when you want to play college basketball.”
Grayson, who has been Memorial Day’s head coach for five seasons, saw Brown’s role change from a scorer to more of a defensive specialist – a lockdown defender, if you will. She averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds as well as 1.6 steals per game over 23 contests.
“The past two seasons that she was here, Jalynn put up a lot of points for us, but this year, she was having a hard time finding her rhythm,” Grayson said after the ceremony. “One of the things that I coached her up on this year is it’s not all about the points. Just lock in and play your role. She did very well for us on the defensive side. Really and truly, that’s what we needed.”
The Matadors (19-4) needed everyone to contribute, especially after one player’s injury left just six on the active roster. That didn’t stop them from defeating Citizens Christian Academy of Douglas, 51-38, in the title game on Feb. 27.
Grayson called Brown a leader on and off the court. She noted how Brown scored 20 points – almost half the squad’s total – in a win over Groves in November. Yet she stuck to her role on the team.
“You are capable of anything,” Grayson told her in her opening remarks. “Your 20-point night showed exactly what you can do. But the bigger lesson was learned to be OK knowing you are fully capable of scoring those 20 points while still understanding how to be a team player. Learning when to lead, when to sacrifice and how to make the people around you better, that’s growth. That’s maturity. That’s what will take you even further in life.”
St. Andrew’s standout Ja’Cari Glover heads to Palm Beach State
The road to Ja’Cari Glover becoming a star basketball player at St. Andrew’s School included a daily commute from the family’s Pooler home to Wilmington Island.
“Round trip, you’re talking two hours every day,” said Lions coach Mel Abrams Jr. “They made a family commitment for this day for their son.”
This day was Friday, when Glover signed to play on scholarship for Palm Beach State College, a powerhouse junior college program in Lake Worth, Fla. The senior signed under the watchful gaze of his mother, Chaquita, who drove him to school, practice, games, and offseason training, and his father, Keith, who picked him up.
(St. Andrew’s School senior Ja’Cari Glover, center, stands with assistant coach Jeff Gonzalez, left, and head coach Mel Abrams Jr. during his college signing ceremony May 8, 2026, in Savannah, Ga. Photo by Lens By Shaunce for Prep Sports Report.)
“You do what you got to do for the kid,” Keith Glover said.
Ja’Cari Glover, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward, gave many thanks, including to his family and St. Andrew’s School administration, coaches, staff, and his teammates, who welcomed the New Hampstead High School transfer for his junior year in 2024-25.
The Lions captured the GIAA Class 3A state championship and nearly repeated in his senior season when they again reached the title game.
“The best moment would be winning that state championship and being around the guys,” Glover said, adding that his teammates are the types to keep one disciplined and out of trouble. “You also can have fun with these guys. You can be on the court, compete with these guys. These are the type of guys that will have your back through anything.”
Glover actually grew up with baseball as his primary sport, playing outfield and pitching. Big for his age, he could dominate the competition, which translated as well to organized basketball, which he started relatively late as a ninth-grader.
“Since I’ve been growing up, I’ve been playing bigger than what I am,” he recalled. “With baseball, my mom used to have to bring a birth certificate to every game. With basketball, people said I was a man among boys on the court. Just the type of person I am. I play bigger, taller than I am. I like to dominate the game.”
He averaged a double-double of 14.9 points and 10.9 rebounds his junior season, when the Lions went 26-3 (8-0 in District 2-4A/3A) en route to the GIAA crown. St. Andrew’s was 20-8 (8-0) last season, when he led the team with 17.8 points per game, 10.5 rebounds, and 67 percent shooting from the field.
“For this program during my time here, he gave us a presence inside that we had not had,” Abrams said. “Very physical, dominant. I often told college coaches that he plays a lot bigger than his actual height. When you see him in games or on film, you would think he’s 6-8 or 6-9 the way he plays inside.”
Glover finished with 32 double-doubles, the most in program history, with the next-closest player with 17.
He did this all in two seasons, including two first-team all-state and two all-region honors.
“We saw where teams could not defend him,” Abrams said. “Oftentimes, he found himself being played super aggressive, getting a lot of fouls. I think that’s a testament to his dominance and the way he was able to establish himself inside.”
Abrams said that Glover’s in-game presence is different when he’s away from the court.
“He has a big heart,” the coach said. “People see him. At first glance, you probably think he’s this rugged, rough kid who walks angry and intimidating, when he’s actually the opposite. He’s a caring kid who has a soft spot, who gravitates toward young kids to be a mentor, big brother type. He’s grown as a person.”
Glover showed that perspective in explaining why he chose Palm Beach State over several other offers from four- and two-year schools. Head coach Tae Norwood guided the Panthers to a 33-3 record last season, when they were ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Division II going into the national tournament and reached the quarterfinals.
“He’s a coach who shows discipline, who would get his team right,” Glover said of Norwood, a former Georgia Southern assistant coach who earned a master’s degree in Statesboro. “I felt like being in that program would develop me in a lot of ways, not just as a basketball player, but growing into being a young man.
Glover said he plans to major in sports management, earn a degree at Palm Beach State, and move on to a four-year school with a dream of playing professional basketball.
Asked if he would use his major to be his own agent, Glover said, “My mom told me she is going to be my agent.”
Photo credit: Courtesy of lensbyshaunce_
Follow the Prep Sports Report on X @PrepSav and Instagram @savannahsportsreport.
To share scores, stories, or corrections, email kdemasi@prepsportsreport.com or text 912-507-9158.
Basketball coverage sponsored by Optim Orthopedics. Optim Orthopedics has always gone beyond what’s expected to offer more.
They keep Savannah’s athletes healthy and ready to compete all season.
Team physicians include Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), and Dr. Thomas Alexander (Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
