Deshler basketball coach breaks AHSAA all-time wins record

There’s a new name on top of the Alabama high school record books.

Deshler girls basketball coach Jana Killen led the Tigers to their 23rd win of the season on Jan. 21, 2025. And it was that victory that secured Killen’s spot at the top spot.

Killen now has 920 wins and counting with another postseason run looming. Tuesday’s win pushed Killen past Hall-of-Fame boys’ basketball coach Eugene Mason of R.C. Hatch High School, taking the lead for most wins for a basketball coach in AHSAA history.

Keep reading to learn more about Killen’s career + how her resume stacks up nationally.

Jana Killen

Killen isn’t a new name to the record book as she already held the record for most wins for a girls basketball coach in state history entering the season.

Last year, she became the first coach in the AHSAA and in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to record 1,000 volleyball victories and 800 girls’ basketball victories in history.

Deshler’s Killen, who was inducted into the AHSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, has compiled a 920-228 overall record at Deshler – which also is an AHSAA state record for most wins at one school for boys or girls.

Killen, who has coached Deshler’s girls to seven state basketball titles, has also guided Deshler’s volleyball program over the same period to a 1,063-492 record overall.

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