Assault of championship KY high school girls’ basketball coach by parent investigated
Authorities in Jackson County are investigating the alleged assault of a North Laurel High School girls’ basketball coach by a parent of one of the players.
Jackson County Attorney Ross Murray told the Herald-Leader that Feb. 3, a Jackson County sheriff’s deputy who had been at the North Laurel girls game at Jackson County called Murray to say a North Laurel coach had allegedly been assaulted by the father of one of the players of his own team.
Murray said the coach — who Murray did not name — declined medical treatment and declined to file criminal charges, according to the deputy.
The head coach of the North Laurel team is Eddie Mahan. He’s the winningest coach in North Laurel program history and has led the Jaguars to four Girls’ Sweet 16 state tournament appearances as 13th Region champions, including the last three in a row. On Friday, Mahan said he couldn’t comment at all and referred the Herald-Leader to a Laurel County Schools board attorney who did not immediately comment.
Haley Jo Fields, commonwealth’s attorney for Clay, Jackson and Leslie counties, said the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was investigating. Fields said depending on the outcome of the investigation, a Jackson grand jury may consider an indictment.
Jackson County Sheriff Daniel Isaacs did not immediately comment Friday.
A statement from Laurel County School officials on Thursday said they are committed to maintaining “a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment at all school-sponsored events.”
“We expect all parents and other members of our community to lead by example and demonstrate good sportsmanship and mutual respect,” the statement said. “ Any behavior that jeopardizes the safety or well-being of students or staff, or disrupts the integrity of school activities, will not be tolerated.”
District officials said they cannot comment on specific incidents that may be subject to law enforcement investigation, adding, “the district remains focused on ensuring that school events are conducted in a manner that reflects our shared values of respect, responsibility, and safety.”
The game in question was a 73-21 win for North Laurel at 49th District rival Jackson County on Feb. 3. The Jags have 41 straight wins over Jackson, a streak that dates to 2007.
North Laurel coach has award-winning resume
Mahan took over the North Laurel program in 2011. The Jaguars had won only one district championship over the previous dozen years in a basketball-mad community that had a proud tradition dating to when it only had one county high school.
The old Laurel County High School dominated its girls’ basketball region and won five Girls’ Sweet 16 State Championships from 1977 to 1991, including three in a row from 1977 to 1979.
North Laurel was established as a new high school in 1992 as the former school became South Laurel. It took South Laurel until 2008 to win a region title and return to the Girls’ Sweet 16. North Laurel enjoyed less success in its early years.
When Mahan took over, he went 9-25 his first season, but began the Jaguars’ streak of 11 consecutive winning seasons two years later.
During that time, Mahan has led North Laurel to eight consecutive 49th District championships and four 13th Region championships. They advanced as far as the Girls’ Sweet 16 quarterfinals in 2019, 2023 and 2025.
The Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches has named Mahan its 13th Region coach of the year five times in the last seven years.
His overall record of 334 wins and 155 losses includes a 15-6 mark, so far this season.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 1:51 PM.
