Janasky Fleming is new boys basketball coach at Pike County | High-school

The former Dothan Wolves and Northview basketball coach has been hired to lead the Pike County boys basketball program.

Fleming, a native of Dothan, did his teaching internship at Pike County in the spring of 1995 while a senior at Troy University.

He spent the past three seasons as the first boys basketball coach of the Dothan Wolves after taking the job in June of 2019.

“When I was relieved in Dothan … I put out some feelers to some different school systems that I still have the energy to keep working with kids, and coaching kids,” Fleming said Sunday night.

“When the opportunity came, I was like, ‘You know what, I think this could be fun … going back to kind of where it really started.’ I really am excited.”

Fleming will also serve as a wide receivers coach for the football team. He replaces Doug Holland, whose Bulldogs went 9-15 a year ago on the basketball court.

“Really, what attracted me is they were like, ‘Hey we’d like to have you up here; we don’t have driver’s ed, which is what you’re teaching now, but if you come, we’ll look at implementing driver’s ed,” Fleming said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s pretty cool.’”

Fleming also said his family backed his decision.

“They like seeing me do what I enjoy doing,” Fleming said.

The Wolves had a 36-39 record under Fleming, including 12-18 this past season.

A Dothan native and Dothan High graduate, Fleming has been an employee of the Dothan city school system since 1996, including the last 19 years as a head basketball coach, first as Northview girls coach then Northview boys coach and finally Dothan Wolves coach. He has a career varsity record of 238-286.

After coaching defensive backs at Enterprise under legendary head coach Bill Bacon in 1995-96 and coaching the junior varsity basketball team, Fleming was hired at Northview as wide receivers coach and 9th grade boys basketball coach. Two years later, he was elevated to JV boys basketball coach.

Following a two-year tenure at Carver Middle School, he returned to Northview as junior varsity boys coach before taking over the girls basketball program in 2003-04. He became the Cougars’ boys head coach in 2009-10, replacing longtime coach Floyd Griffin.

Fleming guided a struggling girls team that didn’t win a game the year before his hire and gradually built the program, eventually leading two winning seasons – 17-11 and 18-13 in 2006-07 and 2007-08 with two sub-regional appearances. Overall, he had a 58-103 record as girls coach.

In his 10 years with the Cougar boys, he had five winning seasons with three regional postseason appearances. His best team was in 2015-16 when NHS went 22-11 and reached the regional tournament.

David Mundee contributed to this report.