Hebron Christian announces split with 17-time champion girls basketball coach
Hebron Christian announced a “transition in leadership” of its girls basketball program on Monday, moving on from 17-time state champion coach Jan Azar.
Azar has won more state championships than any basketball coach in GHSA history. She led the Lions to their fourth state title in her seven-year tenure on Wednesday, beating defending champion Holy Innocents’ 46-42.
“Both teams really came to play today, but this is my team, and I’m proud of them,” Azar said after the win.
The school’s full statement was four sentences long. It did not indicate why the school is making the transition.
“Hebron Christian Academy has announced a transition in leadership for the Girls Basketball program for the 2026-27 season,” part of the statement said. “We are grateful for the investment Coach Azar and Coach Frazier have made in the lives of our student-athletes and for the role they have played in advancing the program.”
The AJC is attempting to reach both Azar and the school for more details.
Azar made her name at fellow Gwinnett County private school Wesleyan, where she won 13 state titles from 1997 to 2019.
She left Wesleyan for Hebron Christian just weeks after the 2019 state championship.
“That was a hard decision, but it was the right decision,” she told the AJC in January of 2025. “I love the way at Hebron that everyone’s for each other and how success breeds success. The football team won the state championship. The volleyball team won the state championship. Softball was state runner-up. It’s just a fun place to be right now, and it does remind me of the days when Wesleyan was beginning to grow and win. I’ll always love my time at Wesleyan and the school and the success we had in building that school.”
Azar also told the AJC in January 2025 that she didn’t plan on retiring any time soon.
“As long as I continue to enjoy pieces of it and find it fun, I’ll keep doing it,” she said.
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
