Twelve veterans return from a 2008-09 Mountaineer squad that finished third in the Southern Conference North Division at 9-11, 13-18 overall.

The up-and-down year included five overtime decisions while 15-of-31 games were decided by six or fewer points.

The most notable addition for 2009-10, however, comes on the sidelines as Buzz Peterson rejoins the program nine seasons after he led the Apps to a league title and berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2000.

The pieces are beginning to come together for Appalachian’s return to prominence in the SoCon, as Peterson inherits five seniors and six juniors.

Along with Peterson, assistant coaches Jamie Kachmarik and Jason Capel join the staff alongside Matt McMahon, who enters his 10th year on the bench.

Peterson said of the staff, “You’re only as good as the coaching staff and I have a good, talented young group of guys in place.”

The Apps lost guard Eduardo Bermudez to graduation after the senior averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 23 games with 16 starts, as well as departed freshmen Quinche Dowdell and Donterious Hughes, who averaged 4.7 and 1.6 points, respectively.

However, ASU returns 87 percent of its scoring from 2008-09.

While the Mountaineers return much of their offensive punch, Peterson is best known for his tough-nosed defensive style. However, the new head coach maintains that heading into the season, he and his staff will be flexible in searching for an identity for the squad.

“I’m a believer in adapting to your personnel when entering a new situation, rather than coming in and saying ‘This is my style and this is how we’re going to do things.’”

“That’s why the trip to The Bahamas (in August) was so beneficial. We really learned about each player’s strengths and weaknesses, what styles work for us and which players can work together for different lineups.”

Peterson believes that if the players settle in and do what the coaches ask of them, play tough defense and eliminate easy points for the opposition, the team will experience the success that has come to be expected from Appalachian.

Guards

Beginning with point guard, the squad looks for leadership from senior Ryann Abraham, who made 12 starts in 2008-09 and dished out three assists per contest.

The team averaged 76.0 points per game a season ago and nearly one-third of its field goals came from beyond the arc. Junior point guard Donald Sims sank 90 three-pointers at a rate of better than 40 percent and finished second on the team with 13.7 points per game.

Marcus Wright returns after a freshman campaign in which he saw action in 27 games and worked his way into the backcourt rotation as the year progressed.

“We need those three guys to be quarterbacks on the floor and get everybody where they need to be, but also limit their mistakes with the ball. Point guard is a very important position and the quicker those guys can adapt to playing smart basketball and executing our game plan, the better this team will be.”

The versatile group may be asked to play together at times. Abraham and Sims have proved their ability to hit the outside shot and Wright continues to expand his range, so each may be called on to play the wing position as well.

One of the biggest strengths of this year’s crop of guards is experience with senior Kellen Brand leading the way. The team’s top scorer from a season ago returns after starting all 31 games for ASU in ‘08-09.

The 6-1 Brand earned all-conference honors after scoring 14.8 points per game for the up-tempo Mountaineer attack. He was also first on the team in free throws, second in three-pointers made and third in assists.

Peterson said, “I’ve never had a player quite like Kellen, who plays the game with a football player’s mentality. He showed in The Bahamas why he is an all-conference performer and we expect another solid year from him on both ends of the floor.”

Sharpshooters A.J. Highsmith and J.R. Archer and all-around threat Jeremi Booth also return to help open up the offense for the post players underneath.

“Jeremi has had one of the best fall camps of anyone on the team’” said Peterson. “He is better conditioned, has made strides in the weight room and once he improves his offensive rebounding and shot selection, he has a chance to be a difference-maker for us.”

Regarding Highsmith, a former walk-on, the head coach said, “A.J. has done a tremendous job in the classroom and on the court for this program for four years and has been a role model for his teammates and this University. We decided to reward him with a scholarship this year.”

“Archer is a hard-working player; I love him to death. He is always the first one in line and really gets his nose into everything on the court.

Freshman Ryan Kilmartin also joins the fold following a successful high school career at Charlotte Catholic.

Peterson noted that Kilmartin has progressed quickly in a short period of time with his aggressive play and shares a similar work ethic as Archer.

Forwards/Centers

Isaac Butts and Josh Hunter return as the main components of Appalachian’s post play. Each member of the tandem ranked among the SoCon’s top-10 in rebounds a season ago, as Butts reined in 8.5 boards per game and Hunter added 7.2.

“Hunter was the most consistent player in August in The Bahamas. He always finds a way to do the little things and come up with those ugly rebounds, and really complements Butts well.”

As a sophomore, Butts finished third in the SoCon with nine double-doubles and converted just under 60 percent of his field goal attempts to go with his 8.5 points per game and team-high 39 blocked shots.

“One of the first things I noticed with Ike is that for such a big guy, he has great hands and footwork. He had a setback with his knee injury (suffered during off-season workouts), but is on the road to a full recovery. We plan to get the ball inside to him almost every time and look to get some high-percentage shots.”

Hunter started 24 games as a junior and showed off his scoring prowess with 8.9 points per game in addition to 44 assists, the most among ASU big men. He has worked in the offseason to extend his range.

While Butts and Hunter averaged more than 25 minutes per contest in ‘08-09, Andre Williamson blossomed as a freshman, grabbing 3.8 rebounds and swatting more than a shot per game in just 12.8 minutes on the floor.

“Andre is a very talented young man with a lot of upside. We want him to focus on defense and extend his range a little bit, but also be meaner in the paint,” Peterson said.

Senior Tyler Webb brings versatility to the position, as the 6-9 forward showed off an outside scoring touch with nine three-pointers a season ago. Webb made seven starts and converted 47.8 percent of his shots from the floor last season, good for 3.2 points per game.

About Webb, Peterson said: “Tyler has been very consistent and can extend his game outside. He’s also been a leader for us and has made the most of the fall with his conditioning as well as time in the weight room.”

The Nickelsville, Va. native added a 2.2 rebound average in 15 minutes per game after overcoming an early-season injury.

Josh Nirenberg took a redshirt as a true freshman, but played well for Puerto Rico in the U19 World Basketball Championships over the summer and showed a lot of promise in The Bahamas.

“The key with Josh is going to be conditioning. We want to get him in good enough shape that he can give us quality minutes on a regular basis. There’s no reason he can’t be out there with some meaningful minutes on this team,” Peterson said.

Appalachian adds a pair of Big South transfers in Anthony Breeze (Coastal Carolina) and Omar Carter (Charleston Southern), but the pair will sit out the season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

Both players were named to the 2007-08 Big South all-freshman squad and enjoyed successful sophomore campaigns with their respective schools.

The Apps also welcome 6-7 freshman forward Nathan Healy, who led Blair Academy to the New Jersey state championship last year.

“Nathan is a walk-on who has had a good fall,” Peterson said. “He has a similar game to Tyler Webb, where he can step outside and shoot it. We’re happy to have him here and early on, he’s shown some bright signs for us.”

Schedule

Sixteen home games and tough non-conference opponents highlight the 2009-10 schedule.

Peterson likes to break the schedule into three parts: early non-conference games, the Southern Conference slate and the SoCon Tournament.

“Our goal is to be playing our best basketball when that third part of the season rolls around in March.”

“We like to have as many home games as we can and to keep rivalries going with local teams, such as East Tennessee State, Winthrop and UNC Wilmington.”

ASU’s campaign begins with a visit from UNC Wilmington on Nov. 13. The opener is sure to be grudge match after Appalachian’s 108-101 overtime setback at UNCW in last year’s opener.

The team then hits the road for a game at East Tennessee State the following evening.

The Apps host Lees McRae on Nov. 17 before heading out on perhaps the toughest road swing of the year.

ASU squares off with Arkansas on Nov. 20 and at Louisville three days later. ASU defeated the Razorbacks on a neutral court two seasons ago in Little Rock, Ark. and played in Louisville’s Freedom Hall last December against Kentucky.

Following the trip, Appalachian closes out November with a home game against Morgan State on Nov. 28 and a rematch with last year’s ESPNU BracketBuster opponent, Winthrop, in Boone on Nov. 30.

The squad briefly dips into league play at home against Furman (Dec. 3) and at Wofford (Dec. 7) before final exams, then Milligan visits the High Country for a second-straight year on Dec. 17. ASU closes out the calendar year with a three-game road swing, heading north to play Robert Morris (Dec. 19) and Dayton (Dec. 21) and wrapping up 2009 at Campbell on the 30th.

League play begins in earnest with the lone game of the season against The Citadel in Boone on Jan. 6.

From there, the Apps take on Davidson at Belk Arena on Jan. 9. The Apps return home to host division rivals Elon on Jan. 13 and UNC Greensboro on Jan. 16.

“I hope our fans are excited that we play Davidson twice this season, as it’s a good rivalry in the SoCon and also in the state,” said Peterson.

ASU faces Georgia Southern in Statesboro on Jan. 20 before hosting Western Carolina three days later. Four of the following five games are on the road, with the Mountaineers visiting Samford (Jan. 28), Chattanooga (Jan. 30), Western Carolina (Feb. 6) and UNCG in the Greensboro Coliseum (Feb. 8), sandwiched around a home date with King College (Feb. 1)

Davidson returns to the High Country following last year’s sellout game against the Wildcats on Feb. 11 and is followed into the Holmes Center by Georgia Southern two days later.

Appalachian makes the long trip to Charleston on Feb. 17 for the only game of the year against College of Charleston in ‘09-10, before participating in the ESPNU BracketBuster event for the fourth-consecutive year. ASU hosted Niagara two seasons ago and faced Wichita State (2007) and Winthrop (2009) on the road. The opponent for the Feb. 20 home game will be announced early that month.

The regular season wraps up with three games against division rivals as the last road game of the season is at Elon on Feb. 22.

Identical to a year ago, Appalachian hosts Chattanooga (Feb. 25) and Samford (Feb. 27) before heading to the SoCon Tournament in Charlotte, March 5-8.

“I know Charlotte is excited about hosting the tournament and I hope that we’ll be able to draw a lot of our fans and students down there.”