Coaches

Eddie Barnes, head coach

Eddie Barnes is embarking upon his second decade at the helm of Tallahassee Community College's men's basketball program and his 21st season overall as a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) head coach.

Introduced as head coach at Tallahassee on May 23, 2001, Barnes is the third man to lead the Eagles' basketball program, joining Mike Martin (1970-71) and Mike Gillespie (1990-2001). Prior to his head coaching post with the Eagles, the 57-year old native of Panama City, Fla., spent ten years at Wallace Community College in Dothan, Ala., where he was the head coach from 1991-2001. In fact, during his first season at Wallace-Dothan, Barnes and the Governors scored an 80-79 upset over Tallahassee on November 22, 1991, in the first NJCAA game ever played at the Eagledome.

The 2010-11 season, Barnes' tenth with the Eagles, included a pair of milestone victories and a surprising run to the NJCAA Region VIII/Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Championship. During the regular season, Barnes picked up his 200th win at Tallahassee on December 31, 2010, in the Eagles' 69-56 win over Shelton State Community College. On February 8, 2011, Tallahassee defeated Gulf Coast State College, 75-60, to give Barnes his 400th career NJCAA victory.

Despite a roster that included only one player from his 2010 team that finished as NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Runners-up, Barnes guided the Eagles to a second straight postseason berth - the fifth such appearance for Tallahassee with Barnes at the helm (2002, 2006, 2007, 2010) and his 12th trip to "March Madness" in 20 years as an NJCAA head coach. Tallahassee preceded to knock off a trio of conference champions, culminating with a 61-52 win over arch-rival and Panhandle Conference Champion Chipola College to capture the NJCAA Region VIII and FCSAA championships, as well as the accompanying berth to the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, the Eagles' second in the last six years under Barnes.

Tallahassee advanced to the Elite Eight at the NJCAA Tournament before ending its season with a record of 26-10, the Eagles' second-highest win total during Barnes' tenure. For his efforts, Barnes was named Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year by the league's media, as well as FCSAA and NJCAA District VIII Coach of the Year. 

To date, Barnes' win-loss record at Tallahassee stands at 212-93. When combined with his ten-year stint at Wallace-Dothan, his overall NJCAA coaching record is an impressive 407-203, a winning percentage of .667. During "March Madness," Barnes has posted a 12-6 record with the Eagles. In both his ten seasons at Tallahassee and 20 overall as an NJCAA head coach, Barnes has averaged 20 wins per season.

A 1971 graduate of Rutherford High School in Panama City, Fla., Barnes went on to receive his associate’s degree at Wallace Community College, where he also played basketball from 1971-73. He then completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Montevallo.

Barnes began his coaching career in 1975 at Jemison (Ala.) High School. His next stop was his first—but not last— on the collegiate level, as he returned to his alma mater, accepting an assistant coaching position with Montevallo. After three seasons on the Falcons’ bench, Barnes returned to Alabama’s high school ranks, where he had successful stints at both Cottonwood High School and Wicksburg High School.

Prior to the 1991-92 season, Barnes was called upon to take the reigns at Wallace. It was during his ten-year stint with the Governors that he built his reputation as one of the finest coaches in all of junior college basketball. While at Wallace, Barnes coached the Governors to five Alabama Junior and Community College Conference (AJCCC) Division Championships and seven appearances in the NJCAA Region XXII Tournament, including six straight from 1996-2001. Winning over 63 percent of his games, Barnes compiled a 195-110 record with the Governors, recording at least 21 wins in each of his final five seasons. His tenure at Wallace also provided him with the unique opportunity of coaching his son, Cason.

His final season at Wallace turned out to be his best, as the Governors captured the AJCCC/NJCAA Region XXII Championship. From there, they brought home a third-place finish in the NJCAA Division II Tournament, finishing with a record of 30-5. Following the season, Barnes was named the NJCAA District XXII Coach of Year for the fifth time (’92, ’96, ’97, ’00). He was also one of five finalists for NJCAA Coach of the Year.

During his first season at Tallahassee, he recorded the 200th victory of his NJCAA coaching career when the Eagles defeated Shelton State, 85-82, on November 22, 2001. He also took a seventh straight team to the postseason as Tallahassee qualified for the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Tournament as Panhandle Conference Runners-up en route to the school’s eleventh straight 20-win season. On February 11, 2004, he reached the 250-win plateau with a 74-55 win over Gulf Coast. During the 2004-05 season, Barnes was reunited with his son, Cason, who joined the Eagles' coaching staff and later earned his first head coaching position at one of the elder Barnes’ former stops, Cottonwood High School.

Tallahassee's 2005-06 season was one for the ages. After guiding the Eagles to a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship, Barnes was named Co-PC Coach of the Year. At the FCSAA Tournament, he recorded his 100th victory at Tallahassee with a 73-61 win over the College of Central Florida on March 8, 2006. Three days later, he and the Eagles celebrated an NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Championship with a 98-96 triple-overtime win over Chipola. That victory enabled Barnes to join a select group of coaches who have led teams to region championships on both the NJCAA Division I and Division II levels. His efforts also garnered him FCSAA and NJCAA District VIII Coach of the Year honors. At the NJCAA Tournament, the Eagles’ 81-65 win over Iowa Western Community College not only propelled Tallahasse into the championship game for the first time, but was also career NJCAA win No. 300. Though the Eagles came up short in the NJCAA Championship Game, Barnes was recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as the Junior College Coach of the Year.

In May 2007, Barnes was recognized by his alma mater when the University of Montevallo named him the recipient of the prestigious Leon G. Davis Award. The award, bestowed annually upon a former University of Montevallo athlete who has distinguished himself through personal achievements and community service, is given in honor of Davis, former Director of Athletics, Basketball Coach and Golf Coach at the University of Montevallo.

Equally impressive as Barnes’ win-loss record is the number of players who have moved on to the next level. To date, 40 of Barnes’ Tallahassee student-athletes have continued their athletic and academic careers at the four-year level. During the 2004 NCAA Tournament, a pair of his former players squared off against one another when Moses White and Earl Nurse led Florida A&M University and Lehigh University, respectively, into the tournament’s Opening Round game.

In ten years with the Eagles, Barnes has coached six All-FCSAA players (Marcus Johnson ‘02, Steve Cherry ‘04, Abdullahi Kuso ‘06, Dustin Scott ‘07, Bernard James '10, Marvell Waithe '10). Additionally, 55 of his players have been named to various All-Panhandle Conference teams, including 28 first-team selections.

Barnes and his wife, Judy, have two children. Their son, Cason, and wife, Karen, live in Nashville, Tenn. Their daughter, Lindsey, and husband, Tim, reside in Tallahassee and are the parents’ of the Barnes’ first grandchild, 22-month old daughter, Payton.

Barnes is a member of both the NABA and the NJCAA Basketball Coaches Association.

T.J. Braxton, assistant coach

T.J.Braxton, a former basketball standout at Wallace Community College-Dothan (Ala.) and the University of West Florida, is entering his fifth season as an assistant coach at Tallahassee Community College. As the top assistant for head coach Eddie Barnes, Braxton is responsible for scouting the Eagles’ opponents, coordinating recruiting efforts, administering on-the-court drills and monitoring the team’s off-the-court activities, including study hall.

Braxton grew up in the heart of Panhandle Conference basketball country, as three of the five league schools, including Tallahassee, were less than a 90 minute drive from his hometown of Cottondale, Fla. He enjoyed a stellar prep career at Cottondale High School, averaging 14.0 points per game during his varsity career. Upon graduating from CHS, he headed north across the state line to Wallace Community College in Dothan, Ala., where he played under Barnes from 1996-99.

After redshirting during the 1996-97 season, Braxton helped lead the Governors to a 43-15 record and a pair of appearances in the AJCCC/NJCAA Region XXII Tournament from 1997-99. During his career at Wallace, Braxton averaged 13.6 points and 9.4 assists per game.

Braxton continued his education and athletic career at the University of West Florida. Playing for coach Don Hogan in 1999-00, he started 25 of 27 games and averaged 7.1 points per game while leading the Argonauts with 108 assists and 45 steals. His efforts helped lead UWF to an 18-10 record and an appearance in the Gulf South Conference Tournament. Braxton’s 45 steals are currently tied for the ninth-highest single-season total in UWF history. Ironically, he shares the ranking with Tony Atkins, another former Tallahassee assistant.

Braxton began his coaching career in 2001 when he returned home to Cottondale High School as an assistant coach for the boy’s basketball team. Three years later, he was promoted to head coach, a position he held through the 2005-06 season. During a five-year stint overall at Cottondale, he helped guide a pair of teams to the Florida High School Athletic Association Final Four in Lakeland and guided two more teams to the Elite Eight. Following the 2006 season, Braxton returned to the University of West Florida as an assistant coach, his first coaching opportunity on the collegiate level. As an assistant for Hogan in 2006-07, Braxton was responsible for film exchange and also headed up some of the Argonauts’ recruiting efforts.

At Tallahassee, Braxton has coached 24 All-Panhandle Conference players, including first-team members Jermaine Dixon, Bernard James, Leek Leek, Rashard McGill, Juevol Myles, Hugh Robertson and Marvell Waithe. Braxton helped guide the 2011 Eagles to the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Championship and an Elite Eight appearance at the NJCAA Tournament, this coming one season after the team made it to the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA championship game.

Braxton, whose given name is Taurus, is the son of Lynda Speights.

Daniel Batson, assistant coach

Daniel Batson is entering his third season as an assistant coach with the Eagles. Since joining Eddie Barnes' staff in 2009, Batson has been involved in all aspects of Tallahassee’s men's basketball program.

Through two seasons with the Eagles, Batson has coached 14 All-Panhandle Conference players, including NJCAA Preseason All-Americans Bernard James and Marvell Waithe. He also helped guide Tallahassee to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Championship Game. After finishing as runners-up in 2010, Tallahassee captured the 2011 championship and advanced to the Elite Eight at the NJCAA Tournament.

In 2011-12, he'll be one of two Batsons in Tallahassee's men's basketball program. Younger brother Jarrod earned a spot on the Eagles' roster as a walk-on.

A native of Baker, Fla., Batson graduated from Baker High School in 2004. As a member of the Gators’ high school basketball team, he played for legendary coach James “Monty” Russell and helped Baker to a district championship as a senior and a berth in Florida’s Sweet 16.

Batson returned to his alma mater in 2007 and joined coach Mike Martello’s staff, where his responsibilities included on-court coaching, video exchange and scouting. He helped guide Baker to a 15-13 record and district runners-up finish in 2008. Last season, the Gators posted a 24-4 record en route to the district championship and a berth in Florida’s Sweet 16.

The 2008-09 season also provided Batson with his first head coaching opportunity, as he took the reigns of Baker’s sixth and seventh grade boy’s basketball team. Just one season removed from a winless record, Batson coached Baker to a 5-4 mark.

Batson is a 2008 graduate of Okaloosa-Walton College (now Northwest Florida State College), where he earned a bachelor’s in project and acquisitions management. He received his master’s in public administration from Troy University.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Batson works in the College's Enrollment Services and Student Success office. 

Kevin Hogan, assistant coach

Kevin Hogan is a newcomer on the Eagles’ men’s basketball staff, however, he is no stranger to the college basketball scene in Tallahassee. For the past two seasons (2009-11), he was an assistant coach at neighboring Florida A&M University.

Under Tallahassee head coach Eddie Barnes, Hogan will assist in all facets of the program, with an emphasis on recruiting and basketball operations.

Coaching basketball at the collegiate level runs in the Hogan family. Kevin’s father, Don, was head coach of the University of West Florida’s men’s basketball team from 1993-2009 and is currently the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina.

The younger Hogan was a three-year letterwinner in high school and, as a senior at Milton High School, he averaged 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He was also a member of the All-Area team in 2003 after helping Milton to a 27-5 record and the district 2A championship. After playing at Fork Union Military Academy in 2003-04, under legendary prep coach Fletcher Arritt, Hogan signed with NCAA Division II member Rollins College.

After redshirting in 2004-05, Hogan enjoyed a stellar four-year career with the Tars, including two as team captain for coach Tom Klusman. As a freshman (2005-06), he averaged 6.1 points in 29 games and shot 75 percent from the free throw line. During his sophomore season (2006-07), Hogan, who played in all 32 games, averaged 10.9 points and led the Sunshine State Conference in both free throw percentage (86.0 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (47.5 percent).

Hogan moved into the Tars’ starting lineup as a junior (2007-08) and averaged 12.8 points while leading the Sunshine State Conference in three-pointers made (84) and finishing third in three-point field goal percentage (46.7 percent). Hogan earned Sunshine State Conference Honorable Mention accolades as a senior (2008-09) when he started all 30 games, averaged 13.7 points and led the team in three-pointers (74) and three-point field goal percentage (43.8 percent).

Hogan finished his playing career with 1,295 points, becoming the 34^th  player in school history to join the 1,000 Point Club. When he left Rollins, he ranked No. 2 on the all-time list for three-pointers (270) and No. 3 with a .440 three-point field goal percentage.

Hogan earned a pair of degrees from Rollins – a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s of business administration with a concentration in finance.

Hogan is married to the former Haley Rutledge and the couple has a one-year old son, Graham.