Bio

T.J.Braxton, a former basketball standout at Wallace Community College-Dothan (Ala.) and the University of West Florida, is in his seventh 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 Cottondale, 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 West Florida 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 West Florida 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 Tallahassee, Braxton has coached 32 all-Panhandle Conference players, including first-team recipients Jermaine Dixon, Marvell Waithe and Bernard James, who is currently a member of the Dallas Mavericks. 

The 37-year old Braxton, whose given name is Taurus, is the son of Lynda Speights.