'Father figure': Sumter basketball coach Jazmin Mitchell honored for bringing out best in youth

School is out and the hallways at Sumter Central High School near York are quiet, except for the sound of basketballs thumping the hardwood inside the school gymnasium.

Coach Jazmin Mitchell is putting his team through drills and practice as the summer begins. Mitchell is working his kids to help as many of them as possible earn  scholarships and find a way out of poverty. During the 15 years of his coaching career, Mitchell has helped 28 athletes sign scholarships with various junior colleges, colleges and universities.

For his efforts, Mitchell has been recognized by the Alabama High School Athletic Association as one of the 2022 Making A Difference award winners. 

The award recognizes what Mitchell has been doing his entire adult life: helping others better themselves. The Making A Difference award, which was founded in 2011, recognizes people who go beyond their usual duties as a coach, teacher or administrator to make a positive impact in their schools and communities.

"It means a lot to me. My goal is to make a difference here in York, Alabama, and Sumter County. We don't have much, but my dream is to keep getting the kids and the community what they need to get," Mitchell said. 

Two years ago, Mitchell was elected to the town council of York, population 2,500, where he began walking in the footsteps of his mother, Carolyn Mitchell-Gosa who was a two-term mayor in York. Mitchell said he remembered York being a more thriving community during his childhood and his hope as a councilman is to help bring prosperity to York and Sumter County.

"We don't have malls here, we don't have different things like that. We come from a high poverty area. Every kid at Sumter Central eats a free lunch at school because of the poverty here. Sumter County is one of the worst poverty areas in the state of Alabama. My goal is to give kids back because somebody gave me a chance. Now it's my opportunity to give these kids a chance to get out," Mitchell said. 

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One of Mitchell's early-life mentors was Johnny Patrick, a man who coached Sumter County teams to five state basketball championships. Patrick found Mitchell when he was in junior high and began working with him, helping him grow academically and athletically. That mentorship produced a pay-it-forward mentality in Mitchell.

"He got me at a young age, probably in the seventh grade. He taught me the ropes and I still do it the same way Coach Patrick taught me. Coaching is really important. He was a father figure in my life. He molded me, and I'm trying to do the same thing for the kids here," Mitchell said.

Sumter County languishes economically, being one of the state's poorer counties, according to Mitchell, who has watched York and Sumter County fade over the years. At one time, the county had a high school in Livingston and one in York. Those two schools each had more than 400 students.

Sumter Central was formed from the student populations of both of those high schools but now has only 325 students. Part of the reason for the decline is the lack of jobs, which causes families to relocate to find work. The school system remains as the county's major employer.

"If you work in the local schools, you are considered the top because that's all we have," Mitchell said. "All the local plants have moved out, so our kids don't have much."

Finding a way out is half of the equation Mitchell works every day in his role as basketball coach, teacher and mentor. The other half of his life as a town councilman is spent trying to solve the problems York faces in hopes of revitalizing the community to bring jobs in, making the area more attractive for people to come to live.

"I think York can still thrive in the same way if we all come together," Mitchell said. "We can move Sumter County forward."

He is continuing that focus while helping address the problems faced in York. His efforts raised the attention of Sumter Central principal  Derek Wright and assistant principal Rashard Jemison, two of the men who nominated him for the Making A Difference award.

"He loves this community," Wright said. "He is involved in the city council in York. The kids that have come up under him, he works tremendously hard to help them play at the next level. He has a great heart for the community of Sumter County."

"Coach Mitchell is a man of the community, a man of the county," Jemison said. "He works for the kids inside the school system and outside of it as well. He makes it a priority to help students any way he can." 

Jemison, who attended school and grew up around Mitchell, has seen his growth over the years and has seen how he has used that growth to help others. 

"Being able to work in the same school system with him, I've seen him hands-on working with the kids and pushing the emphasis to getting an education because that is the key to gaining success in whatever aspect that you choose," said Jemison, who credits Mitchell with working at least as hard with his players on academics as he does on the game.

"I've won coach of the year awards and area championships and things like that, but the Making A Difference award is the biggest award I've ever won because that's my heart," Mitchell said. "This means more to me than winning a state championship.'