2024-25 North Carolina Sports Network
NC Basketball Spotlight, 10-Year Snapshot:
Appalachian State
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
School: Appalachian State
Location: Boone, N.C.
NCAA DI Member Since: 1971-72
Conference: Sun Belt Conference (SBC)
SBC Member Since: 2014-15
SBC Ranking Among 31 Leagues (KenPom): 18th (2025), 17th (2024), 14th (2023), 17th (2022), 21st (2021), 14th (2020)
NCAA Tournament Bids: 3 (1979, 2000, 2021)
Conference Titles: 3 (1979, 2000 in SoCon; 2021 in SBC)
Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 11 (1978, 1979, 1981, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 in SoCon; 2024 in SBC)
Head Coach: Dustin Kerns (44 years old, 6th season at App State)
As A Player: did not play in college (2002 Clemson graduate)
Record At App State (through Jan. 22): 108-72 (.600) in 5+ seasons
Previous HC Experience: Presbyterian (two seasons, 31-37)
College AC Experience: Santa Clara (2007-13); Wofford (2004-07; 2013-17)
Assistant Under: Kerry Keating, Mike Young
2023-24 Record: 27-7, 16-2 (1st in 14-team SBC)
2024-25 Preseason Prediction (Coaches): 6th in 14-team SBC
2024-25 Record (through Jan. 22): 11-7, 5-2 SBC
2024-25 Midseason Ranking (KenPom): #110 nationally (4th in SBC)
Upcoming Schedule: at Arkansas State (1/23), at Louisiana-Monroe (1/25), ODU (1/29), Georgia State (2/1), Southern Miss (2/5), at Ohio (2/8), at Coastal Carolina (2/13)
Appalachian State coach Dustin Kerns clearly doesn’t mind challenging jobs.
Presbyterian had never enjoyed any significant success as a Division One program and had won only five games during the season before Kerns took the school’s head coaching job. During his second season with the Blue Hose, in 2018-19, he led them to their first — and still only — winning record (20-16) and their first — and still only — postseason invitation (CIT). Since Kerns’ departure, the program has won less than 30 percent of its games.
In its first 49 years as a Division One member, App State had been to only two NCAA Tournaments: in 1979, under 31-year-old head coach Bobby Cremins (who left for Georgia Tech in 1981), and in 2000, under 36-year-old coach Buzz Peterson (who left immediately for Tulsa). In both years, the Mountaineers won the Southern Conference title and received the league’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.
In just his second season at App State, back in 2020-21, Kerns led the Mountaineers to their first Sun Belt championship (and automatic NCAA bid) and their third all-time NCAA Tournament invitation. Last year, the Mountaineers went a sensational 16-2 in conference play and claimed their first regular-season title as a Sun Belt member.
Now in his sixth season in Boone, Kerns — the 2024 Sun Belt Coach of the Year — has built a seemingly strong foundation that combines top-notch team defense with player retention/development, although the latter part of that formula clearly has been disrupted by the NCAA transfer portal.
The Mountaineers lost all five starters from last year’s regular-season champions, including four to the portal: first-team All-Sun Belt forward Tre’Von Spillers (Wake Forest), third-team all-conference guard Terence Harcum (Murray State), Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Justin Abson (Georgia) and elite perimeter defender Xavion Brown (Dallas Baptist). In addition, first-team All-Sun Belt guard Donovan Gregory exhausted his college eligibility.
While App State’s rebuilt rotation continues to play some of the best defense in the Sun Belt, its offensive efficiency has been more difficult to predict.
The Mountaineers’ top two players this season have been fifth-year point guard Myles Tate, a 2023 Butler transfer playing by far the best ball (16 ppg, excellent assist-turnover ratio, 40 percent 3-point accuracy, superb defense) of his entire college career, and fifth-year forward CJ Huntley (15 ppg, 7 rpg), the rare home-grown “super senior” who has spent five consecutive seasons playing for the same coach at the same university.
“Myles is just a good player. He’s just a ball player,” Kerns said. “He works hard. This means a lot to him. He dives into the scouting report. He’s a senior, so he’s been through a lot, he’s seen a lot of plays.
“He’s a good quarterback. He’s a good starting pitcher. Those people are very important, and he’s a really good point guard, in basketball terms. … Those make things very comforting, right? He’s playing really, really well, and I’m proud of him.”
2024-25 App State Mountaineers
(11-7, 5-2 SBC; through Jan. 22)
STARTERS (stats = 2024-25 numbers)
PG Myles Tate, r-Sr. (6-0/170) — 2023 Butler transfer (backup)
32 mpg, 16 ppg, 5 rpg, 43% FG, 79% FT, 40% threes, 99/48 ATO, 2 blocks, 43 steals
G Dior Conners, Jr. (6-3/183) — 2024 Triton JC transfer (starter)
26 mpg, 8 ppg 2 rpg, 47% FG, 75% FT, 48% threes, 21/15 ATO, 1 block, 6 steals
G Jackson Threadgill, Gr. (6-6/200) — 2024 Charlotte transfer (2-year starter)
27 mpg, 6 ppg, 3 rpg, 40% FG, 83% FT, 27% threes, 26/19 ATO, 5 blocks, 14 steals
F CJ Huntley, Gr. (6-11/221) — 2020 HS signee (Davidson Day near Charlotte)
31 mpg, 15 ppg, 7 rpg, 50% FG, 73% FT, 35% threes, 16/22 ATO, 11 blocks, 9 steals
F Jalil Beaubrun, Sr. (6-9/240) — 2024 Stephen F Austin transfer (starter)
20 mpg, 9 ppg, 5 rpg, 52% FG, 58% FT, 31% threes, 6/19 ATO, 10 blocks, 8 steals
KEY RESERVES (stats = 2024-25 numbers)
G Alonzo Dodd, Jr. (6-1/170) — 2024 Texas A&M-Commerce transfer (2-year starter)
19 mpg, 6 ppg, 3 rpg, 48% FG, 69% FT, 48% threes, 38/20 ATO, 3 blocks, 18 steals
F Michael Marcus Jr., Fr. (6-9/255) — 2024 HS signee (Covenant Day near Charlotte)
14 mpg, 4 ppg, 4 rpg, 52% FG, 46% FT, 46% threes, 6/16 ATO, 7 blocks, 3 steals
C Luke Wilson, r-Fr. (6-9/255) — 2023 HS signee (Augusta Christian in Georgia)
12 mpg, 3 ppg, 3 rpg, 65% FG, 38% FT, 0 threes, 10/14 ATO, 16 blocks, 4 steals
G Jamil Muttilib, Jr. (6-6/189) — 2024 Kilgore JC transfer (1st-team all-league)
11 mpg, 3 ppg, 2 rpg, 29% FG, 60% FT, 18% threes, 5/9 ATO, 5 blocks, 3 steals
Departures from 2023-24: F Justin Abson* (So./transfer/Georgia), G Xavion Brown* (r-Jr./transfer/Dallas Baptist), G Bryant Greene (r-Sr.), G Donovan Gregory* (Ss./Belgium), G Terence Harcum* (Jr./transfer/Murray State), F Josh Hayes (Fr./transfer/Northwest Florida CC), F Christopher Mantis (Jr./transfer/Maine), G Jordan Marsh (Fr./transfer/UNC Asheville), F Tre’Von Spillers* (Jr./transfer/Wake Forest)
*—2023-24 starter (started at least 50% of the Mountaineers’ games last season)
App State Mountaineers
10-Year Snapshot
Season: Overall, League (Place), Postseason
2023-24: 27-7, 16-2 SBC (1st*), NIT 1st Round (Dustin Kerns)
2022-23: 16-16, 9-9 SBC (7th), no postseason (Dustin Kerns)
2021-22: 19-15, 12-6 SBC (2nd), TBC 1st Round (Dustin Kerns)
2020-21: 17-12, 7-8 SBC* (7th), NCAA First Four (Dustin Kerns)
2019-20: 18-15, 11-9 SBC (6th), no postseason (Dustin Kerns)
2018-19: 11-21, 6-12 SBC (10th), no postseason (Jim Fox)
2017-18: 15-18, 9-9 SBC (5th), no postseason (Jim Fox)
2016-17: 9-21, 4-14 SBC (11th), no postseason (Jim Fox)
2015-16: 9-22, 7-13 SBC (9th), no postseason (Jim Fox)
2014-15: 12-17, 9-11 SBC (6th), no postseason (Jim Fox)
*—conference champion (regular-season or tournament)
NOTE: In the coming weeks and months, please visit the North Carolina Sports Network’s 2024-25 profiles and 10-year snapshots for all 19 Division One men’s basketball programs in North Carolina and all 18 Atlantic Coast Conference programs. The items below will become “live links” as new articles are posted.
Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt Conference
Boston College Eagles, Atlantic Coast Conference
California Golden Bears, Atlantic Coast Conference
Campbell Camels, Coastal Athletic Association
Charlotte 49ers, American Athletic Conference
Clemson Tigers, Atlantic Coast Conference
Davidson Wildcats, Atlantic-10 Conference
Duke Blue Devils, Atlantic Coast Conference
East Carolina Pirates, American Athletic Conference
Elon Phoenix, Coastal Athletic Association
Florida State Seminoles, Atlantic Coast Conference
Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, Big South Conference
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Atlantic Coast Conference
High Point Panthers, Big South Conference
Louisville Cardinals, Atlantic Coast Conference
Miami Hurricanes, Atlantic Coast Conference
North Carolina Tar Heels, Atlantic Coast Conference
North Carolina A&T Aggies, Coastal Athletic Association
North Carolina Central Eagles, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
North Carolina State Wolfpack, Atlantic Coast Conference
Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Atlantic Coast Conference
Pitt Panthers, Atlantic Coast Conference
Queens Royals, Atlantic Sun Conference
SMU Mustangs, Atlantic Coast Conference
Stanford Cardinal, Atlantic Coast Conference
Syracuse Orange, Atlantic Coast Conference
UNC Asheville Bulldogs, Big South Conference
UNC Greensboro Spartans, Southern Conference
UNC Wilmington Seahawks, Coastal Athletic Association
Virginia Cavaliers, Atlantic Coast Conference
Virginia Tech Hokies, Atlantic Coast Conference
Wake Forest, Atlantic Coast Conference
Western Carolina Catamounts, Southern Conference