Guest: Dustin Kerns, Head Coach Appalachian State Men's Basketball

Appalachian State head coach Dustin Kerns joins the Basketball Podcast.to share insights on draft time, defense and a culture of appreciation.

Kerns guided the Mountaineers to a historic season in his fifth year at the helm, securing the program's first regular season outright conference championship since the 1978-79 season, a program-record 27 wins and an NIT first-round appearance for the first time since 2006-07. The Mountaineers won 16 Sun Belt games in 2023-24 and finished with a 16-2 record, marking the best winning percentage in conference play in program history. For the third consecutive season, the Mountaineers won at least 10 home games, winning 15 games at the Holmes Center, the most in the building's era. App State was one of 12 teams in the country to be undefeated at home while shattering their regular-season attendance record.

The Mountaineers finished the season 3-0 against teams that made the 2023-24 NCAA Tournament. App State's win over Auburn on December 3 made it back-to-back seasons that the Mountaineers have defeated a Power 5 opponent. Additionally, the Mountaineers were the only team in the country to post three separate winning streaks of at least eight games. Because of the team's success, Kerns was named App State's first Conference Coach of the Year since 2003. Kerns also garnered the All-District 23 Coach of the Year honors by the NABC and was named a finalist for both the Jim Phelan and High Durham Coach of the Year Awards.

Kerns coaching journey started as a student assistant at Clemson, and after graduation landed his first coaching job at Tennessee Tech. Following a one-year stop as a graduate assistant at Tennessee, Kerns joined Mike Young's staff at Wofford from 2004 to 2007, then moved on to Santa Clara as an assistant from 2007 to 2013. He returned to Wofford as the associate head coach in 2013, where he was on staff for the Terriers' 2014 and 2015 NCAA Tournament appearances.

On May 23, 2017, Kerns was named the head coach at Presbyterian.Kerns took over a Presbyterian program that had endured 12 straight losing seasons and a 5 win campaign the previous season. The program quickly turned around as in his 2nd season at Presbyterian, he led the Blue Hose to a 20 win season, first ever postseason berth, and quarterfinal appearance in the CIT Tournament. Kerns was named the head coach at Appalachian State on March 28, 2019.

Breakdown:

02:22 Celebrating Team and Fan Support

03:41 Unique Summer Training Approaches

05:08 Draft Time: A New Approach to Pickup Games

13:27 Mental Health and Player Wellbeing

14:58 Encouraging Diverse Training Environments

19:18 Emphasizing Offensive Skills in Summer

23:29 Focusing on Fewer Fouls During Games

26:33 Officiating Practice: A Teaching Tool

27:48 Addressing Bad Habits and Consequences

30:36 The Role of Analytics in Shot Selection

31:39 Consequences and Emotions in Practice

33:44 Verticality and Defensive Techniques

37:56 Defensive Conditioning and Team Building

40:11 Developing Defensive Intensity

43:01 Core Principles and Program Success

46:44 Appreciation and Individuality in Coaching

Chris Oliver / Basketball Immersion

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