Although it’s only been a little over two weeks since he was introduced, new head men’s basketball coach Dustin Kerns has hit the ground running for Appalachian State.

The new head coach instantly integrated himself into the community by taking in Mountaineer Day with his family just a day after being introduced by AD Doug Gillin. It is that interaction with the community that Kerns believes is key.

“I think there’s got to be engagement,” he stated at his introduction. “My family and I will be very engaged in the community. Something I’ve done in the past as a head coach is I went and met with every fraternity, sorority, personally.”

Since that time he has laid out the plan to put his foundation in place for the men’s basketball program going forward, been on the road for the Appalachian State Athletics’ Spring Tour to visit with alumni across the state, all while trying to piece together his staff, meet with current players, and visit recruits.

While his final staff is still being assembled, there is one name that will remain from the previous regime. Jason Allison will stay on with the Mountaineer men’s basketball program. The associate head coach this past season for Jim Fox, Allison has been with the team for five years and is known as a tireless recruiter. He was instrumental in the Mountaineers signing Ronshad Shabazz, Griffin Kinney, and Isaac Johnson.

On the recruiting trail, Kerns has been very active in his short time at App State. Already he has handed out offers to some of the top talent in the state of North Carolina. The list of players he has targeted include class of 2020 members guard Jalen Cone, and forwards Silas Mason, Nick McMullen, and Kaleb Scott.

In addition to his work in targeting new faces, Kerns has done his best to ensure that everyone who had previously committed to App State would remain on board. His two biggest targets, incoming freshmen Donovan Gregory and JC Tharrington both recently met with Coach Kerns and appear to remain committed to the black and gold. The only previous commit to reopen his recruitment was JUCO transfer Anyeuri Castillo.

While other coaching changes have spurred numerous transfers across the country, App has yet to lose a player on the current roster which speaks volumes to the commitment from both the players and the staff.

With the known recent struggles of App State Basketball, in addition to poor community support, Kerns certainly has his hands full in attempting to turn the program around. However, he has experience in righting college basketball ships, and having everyone on board is a great place to start.