Fourth-year coach Dustin Kerns and the Mountaineers are coming off a second-place finish in the Sun Belt. Kerns, with a 54-42 record, has posted three winning campaigns following the program’s eight consecutive losing seasons.
Top players: Senior forward and leading rebounder Donovan Gregory, recently named a preseason second-team All-Sun Belt player, returns. Three juniors — forward CJ Huntley and guards Xavion Brown and Michael Eads Jr. — should play bigger roles this season.
Key additions: Graduate guard Tyree Boykin transfers in after averaging 19.5 points and being an NCAA Division II All-American at Union. Western Illinois transfer Tamell Pearson, UMass transfer Dibaji Walker and Northwestern State transfer Carvell Teasett add depth to the roster.
Departed players: Adrian Delph, App State’s top scorer last season, was selected 22nd overall by the G League’s College Park Skyhawks after averaging 17.7 points and 5.4 rebounds last season for the Mountaineers. Guards Michael Almonacy and Justin Forrest join forward James Lewis Jr. as players who also departed.
Expectations: With just one player, Gregory, remaining from last season’s starting lineup, Kerns and App State will have to retool with a mostly new group. The Mountaineers have been picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt standings by the conference’s coaches.
