Senior forward to return for 2023-24 season

Senior+forward+Donovan+Gregory+dribbles+the+ball+up+the+court+against+Campbell+Nov.+18%2C+2022.+

Hiatt Ellis

Senior forward Donovan Gregory dribbles the ball up the court against Campbell Nov. 18, 2022.

Ethan Smith, Sports Editor

App State forward Donovan Gregory announced Friday evening he would return for another season of basketball in the High Country.

“App Nation, I’m back,” Gregory said on Twitter.

Gregory is using his additional year of eligibility granted to student athletes by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic ending the 2019-20 season early.

Gregory led the Mountaineers in scoring with 12.5 points per game last season along with a team-leading 4.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. App State finished 16-16 in the regular season and 9-10 in Sun Belt play before being eliminated by South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament March 2.

Gregory’s return gives head coach Dustin Kerns another key contributor for the 2023-24 season. The Black and Gold are expected to return the other four starters in junior guard Xavion Brown, sophomore guard Terence Harcum, junior forward CJ Huntley and freshman forward Justin Abson. Sophomore forward Chris Mantis and sophomore guard Carvell Teasett are also expected to return. 

App State has recruited two incoming freshmen for next season in forward Joshua Hayes and guard Etienne Strothers, per 247sports. Kerns and the rest of the coaching staff will need to be active in recruiting players in the transfer portal to fill out the rest of the roster.