Gwen Thomas Harvey
One of the most successful basketball players in Central history, Gwen Thomas Harvey was a three-time Region Player of the Year for the Lady Jackets. Under the leadership of head coach Eugene Conner, she led her 1988 Central team to the Region 1-AAA championship, and eventually the state championship game in Atlanta where the Yellow Jackets lost a hard-fought game to Chattooga.
Her efforts for Central earned her a scholarship to Georgia Southern University, where she excelled on and off the court for the Eagles. Gwen averaged 19.7 points her senior season for the Eagles. Her 1,320 career points ranks 10th all-time in Georgia Southern women’s basketball history. She also ranks in the top 10 in GSU history in several categories: career rebounds (701), career rebounding average (6.4), career field goal percentage (50.6%), single-game field goals made (14). Her 157 free throws made during the 1991-92 season still ranks #1 all time in school history.
After graduating from GSU in 1993 with a Business degree, Gwen would return to GSU in 1994 to secure her middle grades teaching certification in math and language arts. She has taught 26 years at Langston Chapel Middle School in Statesboro, and was the 2010-2011 Teacher of the Year. A true role model for the youth of Thomasville-Thomas County!