Sumter Central basketball's Jazmin Mitchell reaches 400-career wins

Sumter Central basketball coach Jazmin Mitchell has dedicated his life to giving back to his hometown community of York, Alabama.

A York, Alabama, native and Sumter County High School graduate, Mitchell has spent majority of his adult life in the city he grew up in. He played basketball at Sumter County High School under coach Johnny Patrick, and even won a state title in 1998. After college, at the ripe age of 24, Mitchell began his high school basketball coaching career at Thomasville, where he stayed for three seasons. In those three seasons, he led Thomasville to an area championship and a sweet sixteen appearance in the state tournament.

After those three seasons at Thomasville, Mitchell returned home to York and took the head coaching job at Sumter County. When Sumter County and Livingston merged in 2011 to become Sumter Central High School, Mitchell took the job and has been there ever since.

In total, Mitchell has been coaching basketball for 19 seasons. In those 19 seasons, he has built up quite the list of accolades, both personal and professional. He has led his teams to 11 area championships, five elite eight appearances and two final four bids, and in 2022, he won the AHSAA Making A Difference Award, which is awarded to those who go beyond their typical duties as a coach, teacher or administrator to help make a positive impact within their school and respective community.

Last month, though, Mitchell saw his coaching career reach new heights when he earned his 400th career victory in Sumter Central's Dec. 9 59-52 victory over Class 7A contender Baker.

"It's just an honor to come back home and win 400 games for my community," Mitchell said. "Basketball is a big sport here and it's an honor for me to keep success going in Sumter County.

"My guys knew that this year was going to make 400 wins. It was a big success. We were out in a tournament in Huntsville and we got a chance to play Baker, a 7A school and powerhouse school in the state of Alabama. I didn't think we were going to get the win, but my kids played hard because they knew we had to get the 400th win and we got the upset."

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Earning his 400th-career win stirred up a lot of emotions in Mitchell, but what came to mind the most looking back over his 19-year coaching journey, he said, are the 33 kids he has helped sign to full basketball scholarships in college. To name a few, Mitchell coached Billy Ingram (Alabama State), Michael Hutchins (Alabama A&M) and Calvin Finch (West Alabama).

"That's the biggest honor in 19 years that I have had," Mitchell said. "It beats any state championship when you see kids earning a full scholarship."

Outside of basketball, Mitchell finds himself heavily involved in the York community. He grew up the son of Carolyn and Terry Gosa, and his mother, Carolyn, was the first female mayor in York. With that background, it is something he followed in his adult life, as he is now a York City Council Member in District 2.

"I decided to run for city council because I wanted to help the elderly people, and I wanted to see my town grow," Mitchell said. "... My goal is to see can I help the city grow and I think we are on the right track."

He also sees himself heavily involved in the youth community in York, which is where he met Brandon Robinson, the now starting point guard for the Sumter Central basketball team. Mitchell originally met Robinson when he was just seven years old, and Robinson even used refer to his now coach as 'Uncle Jaz.'

"I met him when I was seven, and then he started coaching me when I played AAU when I was eight," Robinson said. "So, the next year is when I actually got to know him and when he started coaching me up and training me.

"He's a great coach, awesome coach, I love him. He is a role model that coaches me... To me, he's more than just a coach. I used to call him 'Uncle Jaz,' he has always been around."

Mitchell has two children, Shakira, 24, and Jazmin II 'Deuce,' who Mitchell says his team looks after and treats as their own little brother.

Now, in his 13th season at the helm of the Jaguars program, Mitchell and his team are looking for their third straight area championship along with looking to build off of last season's final four appearance and currently sit at 13-3 overall and 1-0 in 3A-Area 7.

Mitchell said he feels good about where his team is at nearing the midway point of the season, but his main concern is not how his team performs on the court. Instead, it is setting his players up for success in their future — a consistent theme throughout Mitchell's life and coaching career which has brought him so much success.

"That's my key," Mitchell said. "Getting the players seen and getting them out of here and giving them a chance to see more than Sumter County."

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Sumter Central basketball: Coach Jazmin Mitchell reaches 400-career wins