Max Preps has named Johnston girls basketball coach Chad Jilek its National Coach of the Year after he led the Dragons to a perfect 27-0 season. The recognition follows a third straight Class 5A state championship and places Jilek at the center of one of the strongest high school girls basketball runs in the country. The Dragons also hold the nation’s longest active win streak at 79 games.
Perfect season, third straight title
The honor reflects a season in which Johnston finished without a loss and added another Class 5A crown to its growing trophy case. The Dragons’ 27-0 record and three consecutive state titles under Jilek show a level of consistency that has carried across multiple seasons.
That sustained success is now matched by a major national accolade. Max Preps singled out Jilek after Johnston’s latest title run, underscoring the team’s place as a girls basketball powerhouse.
Max Preps recognition comes after historic run
Jilek’s latest coaching milestone is tied directly to Johnston’s current 79-game win streak, which is the longest active streak in girls high school basketball. That streak adds another layer to the program’s profile and helps explain why this Max Preps honor stands out as a national marker of achievement.
The Dragons’ undefeated season and three-peat title run are the clearest evidence behind the award. In the context of high school sports, a perfect season is rare; repeating it while extending a 79-game streak is even more striking.
What Johnston has built under Jilek
Johnston’s girls basketball program has established itself as one of the top programs in the country during Jilek’s tenure. The team’s success has been built on repeated championship runs, and the latest Max Preps recognition is another sign that the program’s standard remains exceptionally high.
There were no immediate public comments included in the provided information, but the results speak clearly enough: a perfect season, a third straight Class 5A championship, and national coach honors all point to a program operating at an elite level.
What comes next is straightforward. Johnston will enter the 2026-27 season with a 79-game win streak to defend and a national spotlight still firmly on the Dragons, while Max Preps’ latest honor gives Chad Jilek another benchmark in an already remarkable run.
