Mountaineers dancing at last
BOONE, N.C. (BVM) — Every year when the NCAA March Madness tournament rolls around, the Appalachian State Mountaineers are typically watching from the couch. The last time the program earned a bid into the tournament was in the year 2000, where it was eliminated in the Round of 64 by the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Their history in March is less than impressive, but this year, after a 20-year hiatus, the Mountaineers will have a chance to begin changing that narrative. App State is the 2021 Sun Belt champion after beating Georgia State in the title game, and will now prepare for Selection Sunday where they will find out who they play in the Round of 64.
This turnaround actually began in March of 2019 when the university named Dustin Kerns as its 22nd head coach in program history. In his first season as the lead man, Kerns navigated the black and gold to their best season in a decade. They recorded the most Sun Belt wins in team history, and finished with a winning non-conference record for the first time since 2007-08.
That season, they found their identity on the defensive side of the ball. They were a juggernaut on defense, holding teams to low shooting percentages and low point outputs. They held opponents to an average of 67.3 points, good for second best in the Sun Belt. They kept 13 opponents under 60 points, the first time they’ve done that since the 1979-80 season.
That momentum followed them into this season, where their shift to successful basketball came full circle. App State won four games in four nights of the conference tournament, with that run culminating with a win over the back-to-back conference champions Georgia State.
The Mountaineers did it by committee, with a quartet of players averaging double digits. But in the championship game, when it was win or go home, one player in particular stepped up to the challenge: Michael Almonacy. The graduate student, in his first year with the Mountaineers, previously from Division II school Southern New Hampshire, scored a career-high 32 points while sinking six 3-pointers.
That performance won him the Sun Belt Championship “Most Outstanding Player” award.
The Mountaineers are now seeking their first NCAA tournament win in men’s basketball history. They haven’t won a game in either of their other two appearances.
