Longtime EHS volleyball coach resigns

Janie Wiggins has been a staple of the Enterprise High School volleyball program since taking on the job in 2012, but on Tuesday, Dec. 17, she turned in her resignation to the Enterprise Board of Education.

Wiggins said that it was important to her – after more than 24 years coaching – to be able to step back and spend more time with her family now.

“It’s been something that I’ve been praying about and I just want to be there for my girls,” she emphasized. “I was pregnant with all three of them while I was coaching, so they’ve been in the gym with me even before they were born and they’ve worked so hard to get to where they are and to accomplish what they have.

“I want to be there for them and to be able to enjoy watching them succeed at the (college) level now.”

Wiggins’ oldest daughter – Alex – just completed her junior year at Alabama State and her middle daughter – Ali – is a senior at EHS and just accepted a scholarship to play at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette.

Janie Wiggins’ youngest daughter Abigail has also started playing volleyball and it was tough for her to not be able to watch her much, as well.

“She’s gone everywhere with me and now she’s playing and I haven’t been able to watch her either,” Janie Wiggins said. “I think I’m at a point that I want to be able to manage my time so that I can do a better job of being able to be there for all three of them.”

Wiggins called her mother her No. 1 fan and being able to spend more time with her was also a factor.

“She has every single article that has ever been written about me from high school until now,” she said. “My husband is a great support too but (my mom) is probably my No. 1 fan. I want to be able to spend more time with her because that’s important to be there more for her, too.”

After a successful high school career at Kinston, Wiggins went on to play at Troy and then served as head coach of Enterprise State Community College’s short-lived volleyball program from 1995 until 1997.

Wiggins served as an assistant coach under Kinston legend Amelia Rhoades until official taking over for her in 2000 as Kinston’s head coach.

Wiggins led Kinston to 12 area championships in her 12 seasons there along with three Final Four appearances and 10 Elite 8 appearances. Her 2006-2007 team went 39-6 and won a Class 1A State Championship.

In 2012, Wiggins took over the Enterprise program and led the Lady Cats to eight consecutive area championships along with six Elite 8 appearances.

Wiggins compiled a staggering 631-249 career coaching record at Kinston and Enterprise.

Despite all of those wins and accolades, Wiggins said what stands out to her most about her career is the relationships she formed because of it.

“It’s not necessarily all the time we spent on the court or in competitions, but all of the things we did building relationships,” Wiggins said regarding her favorite memories. “I used to do haunted hayrides for the girls and all of the activities we would go and do to help build team chemistry really stands out to me.

“Being able to watch those friendships grow throughout the different things we did and watching them learn how to communicate with each other and how to manage tough situations together was amazing. It’s also rewarding to see my former players going on to be successful in life.”

Wiggins has sent a number of her former players on to play at the college level, which she said was one of the more rewarding parts of her job.

“If I had not played volleyball in college there was no way that my family could have paid for me to go to college,” she emphasized. “I feel grateful to have been a part of that successful story for our girls.

“To know they value the importance in furthering their education and how important that is means so much to me.”

Enterprise Athletic Director Trent Trawick said that the word that best described Wiggins was “class.”

“She has been nothing but a class act for the entirety of her career,” Trawick said. “She represents herself, the school and the program as a class act.

“She has been extremely dedicated and committed to not only the sport of volleyball but also to the high school and to the young ladies that she has coached. Her success on and off the court shows that.”

Trawick said replacing Wiggins will be a tall order but the foundation that she helped lay at Enterprise will help ease that transition.

“Those are going to be extremely big shoes to fill,” he said. “Anytime you lose a leader or a head coach with the ability, knowledge and dedication that she has it will be extremely hard.

“The good thing is that she laid a great foundation and set some great standards here. So, the leg work has already been done and it will just be up to (the next coach) to continue what Coach Wiggins help build.”

Trawick said that he and Enterprise Principal Brent Harrison hope to begin the coaching search in January and have the position filled in the spring time, so that the new coach can hold tryouts.

While Wiggins is stepping away from coaching, she isn’t stepping away from the game that she’s been apart of for three decades, however.

In 2020 Wiggins will launch The Links Volleyball Academy in Enterprise, alongside All-Zone’s Fastpitch Softball Academy.

“I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve done clinics or camps that I would be approached by parents to ask me to do lessons,” Wiggins said. “Quite honestly there just wasn’t enough time in the day to put that on the schedule for me with everything else I had going on.

“I’ve always been interested in doing it but just haven’t had the time or the facility to do it at.”

A number of years ago Wiggins began holding youth camps in Enterprise and also partnered with Enterprise Parks and Recreation to do a youth volleyball clinic.

“We’ve got that moving forward and it’s growing with the rec department,” Wiggins said. “I feel good about the direction that we’re heading in and now I can be more present in those areas to continue its growth, too.”

All-Zones’ owner Sharon O’Mara recently decided to expand her academy and offered to share the facility with Wiggins as she opens her volleyball academy.

“I’m just thankful that Sharon (O’Mara) with All-Zones is willing to share that facility with me,” Wiggins continued. “She’s had a lot of success sending softball players to the next level, so I know I have the right person to help lead me in the right direction with this volleyball academy.”