Deshler Girls Hoops Coach Jana Killen Becomes the AHSAA’s Career Wins Leader
MONTGOMERY, AL – Deshler High School’s Reece Davis delivered an impressive career-high performance, scoring 37 points to lead the Tigers to a dominating 77-33 victory over Hatton on Tuesday night. With the win, Deshler head coach Jana Killen has secured the top spot on the AHSAA leaderboard for career coaching wins.
Coach Killen, inducted into the AHSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, set the record with her 920th career win, surpassing the previous record-holder, R.C. Hatch boys’ coach Eugene Mason. Mason, who had an illustrious coaching career from 1968 to 2005, amassed a 919-306 record, leading his teams to eight state championships.
Killen’s coaching career is remarkable not only for its longevity but for the consistency of her success at Deshler. Her 920-228 overall record also marks the most wins by any coach—boys or girls—at a single school in AHSAA history.
Spring Garden Upsets 6A Powerhouse Hazel Green 63-46
Another headline-making girls’ basketball clash on Tuesday featured an unexpected but thrilling matchup between two championship teams. Defending Class 1A state champions Spring Garden secured a statement 63-46 win over reigning Class 6A champions Hazel Green.
Spring Garden’s coach Ricky Austin, whose team now holds a 27-1 record, continues building on his legacy with this victory. Austin boasts a 779-169 career coaching record for girls’ basketball, capturing eight state championships (2004, 2005, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024). Meanwhile, Hazel Green’s legendary coach Tim Miller, with a 770-119 career record, has led his teams to 11 state championships, including seven straight championships at Hazel Green from 2018 through 2024.
The game also highlighted Hazel Green’s incredible dominance in recent years, including setting the AHSAA record of 87 consecutive wins from 2021 to 2023. Miller remains the only coach in AHSAA history to win state titles at three schools—Hazel Green (7), Bob Jones (2), and Jeff Davis (1).
Legendary Coaches and Career Milestones
Spring Garden’s Ricky Austin joins an elite group of AHSAA coaches, with an outstanding combined coaching record of 996-354, including a stint coaching the boys’ team at Spring Garden where he compiled a 217-183 record.
Retired Hall-of-Fame coach Ronald Jackson also remains a historic figure in AHSAA basketball. During his career at T.R. Miller High School from 1992 to 2024 (with previous tenures at Monroe County and Keith), Jackson recorded a combined 1,032-339 career record—773-189 coaching girls and 259-150 coaching boys. He celebrated five state championships, including one at Monroe County in 1987 and four at T.R. Miller in 1995, 1996, 2002, and 2009.
This season continues to showcase Alabama’s rich high school basketball tradition, driven by exceptional players and legendary coaches redefining excellence on and off the court.
