Former Salem High School state championship player Adam Rutledge is returning to lead the Spartans boys basketball program.
The Salem School Board approved Rutledge as the school’s new boys basketball head coach during its May 22 meeting, replacing longtime coach Kevin Garst, who is retiring after 19 seasons.
Rutledge starred on Salem’s 1999 state championship team that defeated Gate City at the Norfolk Scope. He most recently coached at Andrew Lewis Middle School, where he compiled a 44-4 record over three seasons, including an undefeated 16-0 campaign this past winter.
“I am honored and humbled to be the next head basketball coach at Salem High School and continue this legacy,” Rutledge said. “The foundation is in place, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Rutledge takes over a Salem program that won 19 games and reached the regional quarterfinals this past season.
A longtime music teacher and performer in the Roanoke Valley, Rutledge said many of the same lessons that helped shape him on the basketball court also apply on stage.
“When I was playing basketball, I was always taught to envision the whole game and play it out in your mind ahead of time, and I always tried to do the same thing before I went on stage,” Rutledge said. “There’s no question, the two are very similar.”
Garst, who led Salem to the 2013 state championship and won 263 games during his tenure, praised the hire.
“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,” Garst said.
Rutledge graduated from Salem in 1999 and later earned a business administration degree from Roanoke College. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children.