Mountaineer men’s basketball looks to retool with new additions

Senior+forward+Donovan+Gregory+dribbles+the+ball+up+the+court+against+Carlow+Dec.+6%2C+2022.

Ashton Woodruff

Senior forward Donovan Gregory dribbles the ball up the court against Carlow Dec. 6, 2022.

Ethan Smith, Sports Editor

App State men’s basketball announced the signing of a new transfer in the 2023 recruiting class April 11. The signing comes after a slate of new signings over recent weeks.

Senior guard Myles Tate joins the Mountaineers after spending three seasons at Butler, where he averaged 4.2 points per game and started 18 games. During this past season, Tate logged 7.7 minutes per game and produced a season high 10 points against St. John’s in the first round of the Big East Tournament. 

Prior to his stint at Butler, Tate was the 2020 MaxPreps Player of the Year for the state of South Carolina and was listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN. The Roebuck, South Carolina native will have one year of eligibility with the Mountaineers.

“Mountaineer Nation it’s up,” Tate said on Twitter.

In addition to Tate, junior forward Tre’Von Spillers joins App State after spending last season at Moberly Area Community College in Moberly, Missouri. Spillers averaged 13 points per game  along with 11 rebounds per game. Spillers held additional offers from North Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe and Radford.

“1000% committed,” Spillers said on Twitter.

App State also added freshman guard Etienne Strothers to its roster. Strothers committed to the Black and Gold in August and was head coach Dustin Kerns’ first commit of the 2023 recruiting class. Strothers had offers from Hampton, East Tennessee State and St. Bonaventure, among others, before deciding on App State.

“My story is far from finished let’s keep writing,” Strothers said on Twitter.

Additionally, freshman forward Joshua Hayes committed to the Mountaineers in September after taking his official visit Sept. 3,  recruiting website 247sports said. The Gainesville, Florida native had additional offers from Jacksonville and UNC Greensboro. Hayes will provide additional depth to the frontcourt after graduate students Tamell Pearson and Dibaji Walker graduated. 

Lastly, freshman guard Jordan Marsh originally committed to George Mason before reopening his recruitment and signing with App State men’s basketball. Marsh helped lead Moravian Prep to a 33-4 season during his senior year after playing his junior year at Oak Hill Academy.

“All Glory to God,” Marsh said on Twitter.

Kerns and the rest of the coaching staff still have open spots on the roster for more players to complement the returning core of players. The Mountaineers are expected to return all five starters in Terence Harcum, Xavion Brown, Donovan Gregory, CJ Huntley and Justin Abson, in addition to Chris Mantis and Carvell Teasett.