If the public address system goes out at a Salem High boys’ basketball game next season there’s no need to worry, there’s going to be a professional in the house to sing the National Anthem. Adam Rutledge, who chased a dream to be a rock star for 20 years, was named the new coach of the Spartan basketball team this week.
“I’m beyond excited,” said Rutledge, who was a senior on Salem High’s 1999 state championship team. “Before I took the job at Lewis I never would have imagined I’d be a high school coach. I am honored and humbled to be the next head basketball coach at Salem High School and continue this legacy. The foundation is in place, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Adam has been the head boys’ basketball coach at Andrew Lewis Middle School for the past three years. The Wolverines have had three very successful seasons, going 44-4 with an undefeated record this past winter. Then, when the middle school finished in December, Adam has assisted Justin Boles with the Salem High jayvee team for two years and Kevin Garst with the varsity last season. When Garst resigned at the end of the just completed high school season, his 19th as head coach of the Spartans, Adam decided to throw his hat in the ring.
“We had a lot of great candidates, 14 in all,” said Salem High Athletic Director Drew Barrett. “Adam was very impressive in his interview. He said he wanted to be like Mark Byington(current Vanderbilt coach and Salem grad) and Kevin Garst when he was little.”
Rutledge was chosen and approved by the school board last week.
“I am thrilled Coach Rutledge will be the next head basketball coach at Salem High School,” said Garst. “He loves the school, he is a student of the game, and I know he will do everything in his power to make his hometown proud of the program.”
Adam grew up in East Salem playing recreation basketball. Forrest Jones, Sr., the former Salem City Manager, put together a travel team and invited Adam to be on the team. That team wound up being the nucleus of the 1999 state championship team.
Adam tried out for the middle school team in seventh grade but coach Richard Morgan cut him. However, Richard kept Adam around as a practice player.
“He said I worked so hard he really didn’t want to cut me,” said Rutledge. “I didn’t have a uniform but I got to play in the ‘fifth quarter.’ Someone would give me their sweaty uniform after the regular game was over and I’d wear that.”
Adam made the regular team as an eighth grader and played on the jayvee team for Richard as a ninth grader. Richard is the younger brother of then Spartan head coach Charlie Morgan, and both were outstanding players in high school and college. Charlie held the Andrew Lewis scoring record when the school closed as a high school and Richard was a high school All-American at Salem High who went on to play at the University of Virginia.
“I remember hearing about these guys when I was growing up, about how Richard dropped 30-some on North Carolina,” said Adam.
Rutledge played on the jayvee team again as a sophomore, now under coach Chuck Parker, but was called up to the varsity at the end of the season. Adam was a fixture on the team for the next two years and the Spartans went 24-6 his senior year and won the Group AA state championship. Salem beat Gate City in the championship game at the Norfolk Scope arena.
“I think we won our last 16 games,” said Rutledge. “We had a great run to finish off the season. We had played in the Taco Roundball Classic and the Arby’s Classic during the season against some great competition. I think we went one and three, but that helped prepare us for the post-season.”
Adam has fond memories of that special season.
“I had committed to play at Roanoke College, and we beat Grundy at the (RC) Bast Center in the state quarterfinals and I had a really good game,” he recalled. “I hit seven threes and Coach (Page) Moir was there watching. That was a really special moment.”
After graduating from Salem High Adam played in a summer league with some Maroon players, but once he got on campus he questioned whether he wanted to continue playing. While he loved basketball, Adam also loved music and that was pulling him in a different direction.
“It was about that time music started getting in my blood,” he said. “I decided to chase my dream of being a rock star.”
Many would say he made it. Adam was putting out records and gaining national attention with his music. He was the lead singer and guitar player for bands named Southbound and Crowbar Cane and also under just plain “Adam Rutledge.” Among his band members were fellow Salemites Andy Tate, Brandon Covey, Jason Weeks, Jay Gladden and his dad, Roger Rutledge, who is also a talented musician.
“I always wanted to play at the Roanoke Civic Center and I got to open for Ted Nugent, Styx and REO Speedwagon,” Adam recalled. “I’m sitting there and Tommy Shaw (Styx guitarist) walks in. That was a thrill.”
By the year 2010 Adam had a manager in Nashville and was making records. The manager encouraged Adam to move to Nashville, but he resisted. He had married Salem’s Kelly Tate, moved to a home with 12 acres in Botetourt County and was ready to start a family. Still, that didn’t stop him from eventually joining a Kiss tribute band, Kiss America. He played the part of Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley.
“I was always a big fan and they(Kiss America) came to Roanoke to play at Dr. Pepper Park,” said Rutledge. “I asked if I could play a few songs, and I had a Nashville connection so they said okay. I got up and played a few songs with them. I told them if they ever needed guitarist I’d be interested.”
Adam ended up playing with the cover band for six years. They were based in Sarasota but Adam continued living in Botetourt County.
“It was a ton of fun, but I got tired of the travel,” he said. “And every time we played it took three hours to put the makeup on.”
By this time Adam and Kelly had twins, a boy Riggins and a girl Tate, and another daughter, Harper. He decided to take off the makeup when Riggins got old enough to play for the Generals basketball travel team under Kendall Keffer.
“When the Lewis job opened people told me I should apply,” said Rutledge. “I was surprised I got the job since I hadn’t coached at all.”
After three successful years at Lewis Adam finds himself leading one of the top programs in the Roanoke Valley. He’ll be a full-time coach and is currently working on putting together a staff. He said that Justin Boles will return, most likely as jayvee coach. Justin’s dad, Ivan Boles, and Roanoke Valley basketball legend Ed Green assisted Adam at Lewis. Green is a Roanoke College Hall of Famer from his days coaching the Maroons and he’s also coached high school ball along with a stint at Virginia Western Community College. Wherever he went, Ed won.
“I tell the kids that Ed Green is our John Wooden,” said Rutledge, although he most likely had to explain to the middle school boys just exactly who John Wooden was.
Adam said that he’ll lean on Charlie Morgan, his old high school coach who is now retired from coaching, to help with the program.
“Charlie is going to have his fingerprints all over this program,” he said. “A lot of his system will be in my coaching. We had a lot of full court pressure when I played and I love that. We’ll figure out a way to be aggressive.”
Adam also gave a nod to current Roanoke College coach Clay Nunley, who has been a mentor.
“I’ve spent a ton of time with coach Nunley and a lot of what we do will be what they do,” he said. “He’s an elite coach, and to have him in our own backyard is a great asset to our program.
“We’ll play to our players’ strengths, but a lot of what we do will come from the experiences I’ve had with some really good coaches.”
