Inside the stat

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National ranking for Wesleyan’s girls basketball team on the ESPN RISE FAB 50. The Wolves join Class AAAAA Westlake (No. 7) as the Georgia teams on the list. Coach Jan Azar (left), whose team is dropping to Class A after winning four of the past five Class AA titles, talks about the recognition:

Ranking an honor?

“It just means we’ve been building success for several years now. It’s not just about this team, but what other teams have done before them. I think that ranking is as much a credit to them as it is to this group.”

A distraction?

“No, I don’t think that’s a problem at all. Our girls are very mature and very focused. They don’t worry about that kind of thing.”

Attention rewarding?

“It is, but it’s more rewarding to see our players grow and develop. We’ve had some very special girls here at Wesleyan. They all put in that time and hard work, and sometimes it pays off in a championship. I think it just means we’re doing the right things here.”