JA's Jan Sojourner Honored

Jackson Academy’s Jan Sojourner was honored with a proclamation from the Governor’s office after last week’s game against Jackson Prep, naming January 28th as “Jan Sojourner Day.”

Sojourner is in her 40th season with Jackson Academy girls basketball and is in her 45th year overall coaching high school girls basketball. She announced before the season started that her 40th season at Jackson Academy would be her last and she would retire at the end of the year.

“It was really tough at first receiving all of this attention and all of the honors,” Sojourner said. “But I have finally just told myself to just enjoy, these people want to honor you, so be grateful and enjoy it, and I found out that once I accept that and do that, it’s a lot more fun for everyone, especially myself. It was awesome, truly, I don’t even have the words to explain how much everything has meant to me”

There was a massive crowd on hand to celebrate Coach Sojourner and everything she has done for the Jackson Academy girls basketball program. That included a huge number of former and current players and coaches from all the way at the beginning of Sojourner’s coaching journey. 

“It was incredible and meant the world to me, some of them travelled in from out-of-state to be there, which is unbelievable,” Sojourner said. “I haven’t seen some of those girls in years and it was so incredible to be able to see them and all the people that were there.”

This has not been the only time that Sojourner has been celebrated for her legendary career and it has become something that multiple schools that Jackson Academy has played on the road have done, showing her impact on girls basketball around the state and high school sports in general.

“It has just been the neatest thing going to all these other schools and having them honor me, I’ve just been so touched by them,” Sojourner said. “I can’t even describe how much it means to me and has impacted me.”

Sojourner will finish her career as the the third winningest coach in Mississippi girls basketball history and currently sits at 1,053. She has also won 10 MAIS class state titles and 6 MAIS overall state titles. 

Sojourner coached her last game on the court that is named after her in Jackson Academy’s last home game of the season on Tuesday night, which the Lady Raiders won 57-24 over St. Joseph. 

While retirement is coming soon, Sojourner will shift her focus towards one last postseason run next week, after the regular season finale this Friday night at Presbyterian Christian.