BOONE, N.C. — Presented with an Appalachian State jersey as he posed for a family picture with his wife, Brittany, and two children, Dustin Kerns didn't realize that his name adorned the back of it.
Not surprisingly, in the opening moments of his introductory remarks as App State's new men's basketball coach, Kerns asked the crowd to give a round of applause to the players who were in attendance.
The name on the front of the Appalachian State jerseys and the players who wear them matter most to the person whose hiring drew a large crowd to the Ricks Athletics Complex on Friday.