2022–23 Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball team represented Appalachian State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers, led by fourth-year head coach Dustin Kerns, played their home games at the Holmes Center in Boone, North Carolina as members in the Sun Belt Conference.

2022–23 Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Record	16–16 (9–9 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Dustin Kerns (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Patrick Moynihan Bob Szorc Frank Young
Home arena	Holmes Center
Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

2022–23 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Southern Miss	14	–	4		.778			25	–	8		.758
Louisiana †	13	–	5		.722			26	–	8		.765
Marshall	13	–	5		.722			24	–	8		.750
James Madison	12	–	6		.667			22	–	11		.667
Troy	11	–	7		.611			20	–	13		.606
Old Dominion	11	–	7		.611			19	–	12		.613
Georgia Southern	9	–	9		.500			17	–	16		.515
South Alabama	9	–	9		.500			19	–	16		.543
Appalachian State	9	–	9		.500			16	–	16		.500
Louisiana–Monroe	7	–	11		.389			11	–	21		.344
Texas State	6	–	12		.333			16	–	19		.457
Coastal Carolina	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
Arkansas State	4	–	14		.222			13	–	20		.394
Georgia State	3	–	15		.167			10	–	21		.323
† 2023 Sun Belt Tournament winner

Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2021–22 season 19–15, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in second place. They defeated Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament before losing to Georgia State in the semifinals. The Mountaineers received an invitation to The Basketball Classic postseason tournament, formerly known as the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.^[1] There they lost in the first round to USC Upstate.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Justin Forrest	1	G	6'2"	195	Senior	Decatur, GA	Graduated
RJ Duhart	4	F	6'9"	205	Junior	Boynton Beach, FL	Transferred to Charleston Southern
Michael Almonacy	5	G	6'0"	180	GS Senior	Brentwood, NY	Graduated
Adrian Delph	20	G	6'3"	185	Senior	Gastonia, NC	Graduated/went undrafted in 2022 NBA draft
Michael Moore	24	G	6'5"	200	Freshman	Bear Creek, NC	Walk-on; left the team due to personal reasons
James Lewis Jr.	25	F	6'8"	215	Senior	Mount Holly, NC	Graduated
Sasha Glushkov	33	C	6'11"	205	Sophomore	Vladivostok, Russia	Transferred to Southwest Baptist

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Tamell Pearson	3	F	6'10"	223	Senior	Chicago, IL	Western Illinois
Carvell Teasett	12	G	6'1"	180	Sophomore	Baton Rouge, LA	Northwestern State
Tyree Boykin	30	G	6'1"	190	GS Senior	Clarksville, TN	Union (TN)
Dibaji Walker	35	F	6'9"	200	GS Senior	Columbus, OH	UMass

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Zocko Littleton #37 SG	Albany, GA	Osborne High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Oct 29, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals: N/A   247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
Justin Abson PF	Pompano Beach, FL	North Broward Prep	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jan 24, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Joshua Hayes PF	Gainesville, FL	The Rock School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sep 19, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Etienne Strothers PG	Newport News, VA	Menchville High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Aug 23, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

Preseason Sun Belt Conference poll

The Mountaineers were picked to finish in seventh place in the conference's preseason poll.^[2] Senior forward Donovan Gregory was named preseason All-SBC Second Team.^[2]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team (1st place Votes)
1	Louisiana - 190 (10)
2	Texas State - 162 (1)
3	South Alabama - 150 (1)
4	James Madison - 149 (1)
5	Georgia State - 127 (1)
6	Marshall - 122
7	App State - 120
8	Coastal Carolina - 100
9	Old Dominion - 93
10	Troy - 76
11	Georgia Southern - 69
12	Arkansas State - 48
13	Southern Miss - 34
14	ULM - 30

Roster

2022–23 Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Xavion Brown 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Sheldon Sacramento, CA F 2 Christopher Mantis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Lowell Lowell, IN F 3 Tamell Pearson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 223 lb (101 kg) GS Western Illinois Chicago, IL G 4 Zocko Littleton Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Osborne Albany, GA G 5 Andrew Muse (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Mount Tabor Winston-Salem, NC G 10 Michael Eads Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Edgehwater Orlando, FL F 11 Donovan Gregory 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Carmel Christian School Charlotte, NC G 12 Carvell Teasett 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Northwestern State Baton Rouge, LA G 14 Bryant Greene (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Watauga Boone, NC F 15 CJ Huntley 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Jr Davidson Day School Huntersville, NC F 21 Justin Abson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr North Broward Prep Pompano Beach, FL G 23 Terence Harcum 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Granville Central Butner, NC F 24 Quinn Hafner (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Centerville Centerville, OH G 30 Tyree Boykin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Union (TN) Clarksville, TN F 35 Dibaji Walker 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS UMass Columbus, OH	Head coach Dustin Kerns (Clemson) Assistant coach(es) Patrick Moynihan (North Georgia) Bob Szorc (St. John's) Frank Young (West Virginia) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Warren Wilson	W 142–74	1–0	22 – Mantis	7 – Walker	5 – Gregory	Holmes Center (1,944) Boone, NC
November 10, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		North Carolina Central	W 79–74 ^OT	2–0	20 – Boykin	9 – Huntley	5 – Gregory	Holmes Center (2,145) Boone, NC
November 15, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ACCN		at Louisville	W 61–60	3–0	16 – Gregory	9 – Pearson	2 – Tied	KFC Yum! Center (11,919) Louisville, KY
November 18, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Campbell Appalachian State Multi-Team Event	L 58–63	3–1	21 – Gregory	7 – Tied	4 – Gregory	Holmes Center (2,856) Boone, NC
November 19, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Kennesaw State Appalachian State Multi-Team Event	L 67–71	3–2	13 – Tied	8 – Abson	6 – Gregory	Holmes Center (2,603) Boone, NC
November 20, 2022* 2:30 p.m., ESPN+		Southeastern Louisiana Appalachian State Multi-Team Event	W 83–74	4–2	17 – Walker	8 – Tied	7 – Walker	Holmes Center (1,553) Boone, NC
November 23, 2022* 7:00 p.m.		at East Tennessee State	W 74–70	5–2	14 – Gregory	7 – Abson	3 – Tied	Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,825) Johnson City, TN
November 29, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Furman	L 61–65	5–3	12 – Gregory	7 – Tied	2 – Gregory	Holmes Center (1,976) Boone, NC
December 2, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Charlotte	L 62–71	5–4	25 – Mantis	9 – Gregory	7 – Gregory	Dale F. Halton Arena (5,148) Charlotte, NC
December 6, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Carlow	W 103–43	6–4	12 – Tied	8 – Huntley	5 – Tied	Holmes Center (1,622) Boone, NC
December 14, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ACCN		at Wake Forest	L 66–67	6–5	18 – Mantis	10 – Huntley	10 – Walker	LJVM Coliseum (7,781) Winston-Salem, NC
December 17, 2022* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		Regent	W 100–32	7–5	17 – Mantis	12 – Pearson	3 – Brown	Holmes Center (1,394) Boone, NC
December 21, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		vs. UC Santa Barbara Jerry Colangelo Classic	L 50–61	7–6	14 – Boykin	9 – Huntley	4 – Gregory	Footprint Center (2,870) Phoenix, AZ
Sun Belt Conference regular season
December 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Marshall	L 53–79	7–7 (0–1)	20 – Boykin	6 – Huntley	2 – Gregory	Cam Henderson Center (4,816) Huntington, WV
December 31, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Southern Miss	L 70–76	7–8 (0–2)	13 – Mantis	7 – Huntley	4 – Brown	Reed Green Coliseum (3,192) Hattiesburg, MS
January 5, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Coastal Carolina	W 63–62	8–8 (1–2)	16 – Boykin	6 – Harcum	9 – Gregory	Holmes Center (1,819) Boone, NC
January 7, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		at James Madison	W 71–62	9–8 (2–2)	16 – Harcum	8 – Huntley	9 – Gregory	Atlantic Union Bank Center (3,540) Harrisonburg, VA
January 12, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Georgia Southern	L 65–67	9–9 (2–3)	21 – Gregory	7 – Huntley	4 – Tied	Holmes Center (1,651) Boone, NC
January 14, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		Troy	W 58–45	10–9 (3–3)	15 – Harcum	8 – Abson	3 – Brown	Holmes Center (2,377) Boone, NC
January 19, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Coastal Carolina	L 84–93 ^OT	10–10 (3–4)	27 – Walker	9 – Huntley	9 – Gregory	HTC Center (2,143) Conway, SC
January 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Old Dominion	W 72–58	11–10 (4–4)	28 – Harcum	7 – Harcum	6 – Brown	Chartway Arena (5,954) Norfolk, VA
January 26, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Georgia State	W 71–59	12–10 (5–4)	21 – Harcum	8 – Brown	4 – Harcum	Holmes Center (2,559) Boone, NC
January 28, 2023 4:30 p.m., ESPN+		Arkansas State	W 63–51	13–10 (6—4)	15 – Harcum	9 – Huntley	4 – Tied	Holmes Center (3,487) Boone, NC
February 2, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Marshall	L 58–66	13–11 (6–5)	14 – Harcum	7 – Huntley	6 – Gregory	Holmes Center (2,685) Boone, NC
February 4, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		James Madison	L 57–63	13–12 (6–6)	21 – Gregory	11 – Abson	5 – Brown	Holmes Center (3,870) Boone, NC
February 9, 2023 7:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Louisiana–Monroe	W 52–45	14–12 (7–6)	11 – Huntley	10 – Abson	6 – Gregory	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (3,558) Monroe, LA
February 11, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at South Alabama	L 57–74	14–13 (7–7)	14 – Gregory	5 – Pearson	4 – Gregory	Mitchell Center (1,955) Mobile, AL
February 16, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Texas State	W 82–75	15–13 (8–7)	21 – Gregory	6 – Tied	5 – Brown	Holmes Center (2,205) Boone, NC
February 18, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		Old Dominion	L 63–74	15–14 (8–8)	14 – Gregory	7 – Abson	4 – Gregory	Holmes Center (3,651) Boone, NC
February 22, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Georgia State	W 78–52	16–14 (9–8)	22 – Mantis	6 – Tied	6 – Brown	GSU Conovcation Center (1,850) Atlanta, GA
February 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Georgia Southern	L 64–73	16–15 (9–9)	14 – Huntley	7 – Abson	5 – Gregory	Hanner Fieldhouse (2,445) Statesboro, GA
Sun Belt tournament
March 2, 2023 12:30 p.m., ESPN+	(9)	vs. (8) South Alabama Second Round	L 61–68	16–16	17 – Harcum	13 – Abson	5 – Brown	Pensacola Bay Center (718) Pensacola, FL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern.

Source^[3]

References

1. "App State Accepts Invite to The Basketball Classic". appstatesports.com. Appalachian State University. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
2. "Louisiana Headlines Sun Belt Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
3. "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". App State Athletics. Retrieved October 22, 2022.