Coaching Staff
Eddie Barnes, head coach
Eddie Barnes is entering his 19th season as a head basketball coach at the National Junior College Athletic Association level and his ninth at the helm of the Tallahassee Community College program.
Introduced as Head Coach at TCC on May 23, 2001, Barnes is the third man to lead the Eagle Basketball program, joining Mike Martin (1970-71) and Mike Gillespie (1990-2001). Prior to his head coaching post with the Eagles, the 56-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, Barnes and the Governors scored an 80-79 upset over TCC on November 22, 1991, in the first NJCAA game ever played at the Eagledome.
Through eight seasons with the Eagles, Barnes’ records stands at 161-77. When combined with his ten-year stint at Wallace, his overall NJCAA coaching record is an impressive 356-187, a winning percentage of .656. Barnes’ teams have also made ten postseason appearances, three of which have come with the Eagles (2002, 2006, 2007). His overall record in “March Madness” with TCC is 6-3.
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 trips 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 TCC, he recorded the 200th victory of his junior college coaching career when the Eagles defeated Shelton State (Ala.) Community College, 85-82, on November 22, 2001. He also took a seventh straight team to the postseason as TCC qualified for the Florida Community College Activities Association (FCCAA)/NJCAA Region VIII 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 Community College. During the 2004-05 season, Barnes was reunited with his son, Cason, who joined the TCC coaching staff and later earned his first head coaching position at one of the elder Barnes’ former stops, Cottonwood High School.
TCC’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 FCCAA Tournament, he recorded his 100th victory at TCC with a 73-61 win over Central Florida Community College on March 8, 2006. Three days later, he and the Eagles celebrated an FCCAA/NJCAA Region VIII Championship with a 98-96 triple-overtime win over Chipola College. That victory enabled Barnes to join a select group of coaches who have led teams to region championships on both the Division I and Division II levels. His efforts also garnered him FCCAA 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 TCC into the championship game for the first time, but was also career win No. 300 at the two-year level for the veteran coach. 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 (top photo at right).
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 (bottom photo at right). 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 fact that he boasts a graduation rate of 87-percent. Additionally, 96-percent of his players have continued their education and playing careers at four-year schools. To date, 32 of Barnes’ TCC student-athletes have continued their athletic and academic careers at the four-year level. In fact, 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 eight years with the Eagles, Barnes has coached four All-FCCAA players (Marcus Johnson ‘02, Steve Cherry ‘04, Abdullahi Kuso ‘06, Dustin Scott ‘07). Additionally, 41 of his players have been named to various All-Panhandle Conference teams, including 22 first-team selections.
Barnes and his wife, Judy, both active members at Morningside Baptist Church, 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, six-month old daughter, Payton.
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 third 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.
A native of Cottondale, Fla., Braxton grew up in the heart of Panhandle Conference Basketball Country. Playing for Cottondale High School, he averaged 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 sixth-highest single-season total in UWF history. Ironically, he shares the ranking with Tony Atkins, another former TCC 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 TCC, Braxton has coached 10 all-Panhandle Conference players, including first-team recipients Marvell Waithe, Bernard James and Jermaine Dixon, currently a standout at the University of Pittsburgh.
The 33-year old Braxton, whose given name is Taurus, is the son of Lynda Speights.
Daniel Batson, graduate assistant
Daniel Batson is entering his first season as an assistant coach with the Eagles. Batson will be involved in all aspects of TCC’s program in 2009-10.
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. He 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 is currently pursuing his master’s in public administration from Troy University.
Travis Bolin, graduate assistant
Travis Bolin is entering his fifth season as a member of coach Eddie Barnes’ staff. His responsibilities include on-floor coaching, advance scouting, individual skill development, monitoring study hall activities and assisting with future recruit research.
During Bolin's first year on the TCC staff in 2005-06, he assisted the Eagles in numerous capacities, from serving as the team's official scorekeeper to participating in all facets of practice sessions. His efforts helped the Eagles to a 31-4 record, a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship, the FCCAA/NJCAA Region VIII Championship and a berth in the NJCAA Championship Game.
Bolin has coached ten first-team all-Panhandle Conference players, including former TCC standouts Abdullahi Kuso, Dustin Scott and current University of Pittsburgh guard Jermaine Dixon.
A native of Pace, Fla., Bolin, a 2006 graduate of TCC, earned his bachelor’s in physical education from Florida State University in 2009.
In addition to his coaching duties, Bolin works part-time in the College’s Office on Enrollment Services and Student Success.