Janasky Fleming takes over as Northview boys basketball coach

After 10 seasons, there is a changing of the guard in the Northview boys basketball program.

And with it also comes a change at the top of the girls program.

Janasky Fleming, Northview’s girls coach the last six years, takes over the Cougar boys program after veteran coach Floyd Griffin was relieved of the duties last spring.

Bernard Karabin, a former athlete at Rehobeth who has coached at Honeysuckle Middle School and at Dothan High in recent years, replaces Fleming as the girls coach.

The two coaches make debuts with their respective teams tonight when Northview visits Carroll of Ozark.

For Fleming, taking over the boys program is bittersweet considering his admiration for Griffin, the longest tenured teacher at Northview who was part of Cougar basketball for 21 years, the last 10 as head coach.

“Without Floyd Griffin there wouldn’t be a Janasky Fleming,” Fleming said. “He has been someone that has laid the path in more ways than one, basketball-wise and education-wise. He has been a good advisor, not only now, but in previous years.”

Fleming has deep ties to the city. He attended Northview as a ninth grader before his family moved and he transferred to Dothan where he played football, basketball, baseball and track and field.

After graduating from DHS in 1990, he attended college at Wingate (N.C.) and at Florida A&M before walking on and playing wide receiver at Troy in 1992 and 1993.

He began his coaching career at Enterprise in 1995-96. He coached defensive backs for the Wildcat football program, under the legendary Bill Bacon, and was junior varsity boys basketball coach under Paul Curtis.

One year later, he returned to the city of Dothan and has been in the Circle City ever since.

He became wide receiver coach at Northview under Billy Kinnard and also served as ninth grade boys basketball coach.

Two years later, Griffin was elevated from junior varsity coach to head varsity coach and Fleming took over the JV boys program.

He then coached two years at Carver Middle School as he pursued his masters degree. He coached football and basketball at Carver before returning to Northview as junior varsity girls coach.

In 2003-04, Fleming became the girls head varsity coach, replacing Bubba Johnson.

He took over a girls program that was winless the year before and gradually built it into a respectable one.

In 2006-07, he guided the team to an 17-11 record and followed it with an 18-13 season in 2007-08. In both years, Northview came within a win of reaching the regional tournament.

He will have a similar rebuilding job ahead with the boys team, which is coming off a 1-17 season.

Northview returns only three players from last year, but is bolstered by the transfer of Northside Methodist Academy standout Leverett Bristol.

“A lot of people want to be up-tempo and that would be the easy thing to do, but we are going to try and get some control on it and set up some sets with a certain number of passes and find the best shot,” Fleming said.

“The philosophy is not how many shots you take, but the type of shots you take.”

Karabin, meanwhile, is ready to get rolling with a Northview girls program filled with youth.

“It is going to take time,” Karabin said. “You can’t work magic over night, but hopefully in the next year or two, we can get this back to where it needs to be.”

Karabin graduated in 1995 from Rehobeth, where he played football, basketball and baseball.

After graduating, he was a volunteer assistant at Rehobeth for two years, serving as defensive line coach in football and helping with outfielders with the Rebel baseball team.

After attending and graduating from Troy, Karabin became assistant coach at Honeysuckle. He coached three years at the Dothan middle school, coaching defense in football and leading both the girls and basketball programs.

He became a member of the Dothan High coaching staff a year ago. He coached both football and baseball there. He was also the ninth grade head football coach, helping the Tigers go 6-2.

This past fall, he joined new Cougar head football coach Wayne White’s staff at Northview, serving as wide receivers coach, and was tabbed the girls basketball coach.

With only one senior on roster and a freshman expected to start, Karabin knows it won’t be easy in his first season.

“We will take a few bumps, but as the girls grow and mature, I foresee a pretty good team,” Karabin said.

A lot of Karabin’s focus is on conditioning.

“We have been working hard in lifting weights four times a week and we are doing a lot of running,” Karabin said. “We want to be able to be physical and to last the duration of a game.”