TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Wednesday afternoon was a big one on the campus of Tallahassee State College. The two year institution on West Pensacola Street officially introducing new Athletic Director Brett Rutherford and Men’s Basketball coach Trent Short after announcing their hirings in May.
Rutherford previously served as a communications assistant for the school’s athletic department and returns to TSC after a stint with Wake Tech in North Carolina. The Florida State graduate excited to see old faces and greet new ones with a simple message… expect to win.
“Being back here at a place that I love, it doesn’t feel like work,” said a grateful Rutherford following the event. “I get to show up here everyday and work with our great coaches and student athletes so I don’t know if it will ever truly sink in but there’s a lot on the plate since starting last week on July 1st when I walked through those doors and there’s a lot of work still to do, but it’s all been fun.”
Short comes to TSC from just down the road in Marianna. The 27 year old previously working as an assistant on Donnie Tyndall’s staff at rival Chipola and comes armed with the knowledge of just how tough hoops in the Panhandle Conference can be. Short is hoping to continue the Eagles run of success while bringing a brand of toughness to the program.
“It’s a huge priority that nobody out-toughs us, out-hustles us, etc. I want our team to be very tough, very physical and play hard for 40 minutes,” said the coach of the DNA he hopes to bring to the Eagle Dome. “We’re going to act the right way, we’re going to carry ourselves the right way and we’re going to be very detailed and disciplined. We’re going to be a team that doesn’t beat ourselves, somebody else is going to have to come here and beat us, we’re never going to beat ourselves.”
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