App State men’s basketball assistant coach Frank Young has been promoted to Associate Head coach, while Bradley Fey and Raheem Martin were both promoted to assistant coaches, head coach Dustin Kerns announced Thursday.
Young, who has been an assistant for the past five years, enters into the role of Associate Head Coach for the first time in his career. Young has been on Kerns’ staff for all seven years he has been a head coach at the collegiate level.
“Frank has done a tremendous job and has been by my side for seven seasons now,” Kerns said. “His loyalty and work make him very deserving to be my associate head coach. Frank is a rising star in the coaching world and is ready to continue his climb up the coaching ranks to one day run his own program or coach at the highest level. He deeply cares for the development of our players on and off the court and I’m very happy him and Kierra will continue to raise the level of App State basketball.”
Young has been a part of a Sun Belt Champion team and two NCAA Tournament teams during his career. Young has recently received recognition as one of the top assistants in the country as he was one of 10 coaches invited to Jay Bilas’ Coaching Academy and received an invitation to a Top Connect Event, which identifies the top assistant coaches in basketball and connects them with mid-major athletic directors, this past summer.
Prior to their promotions, Fey had worked as Kerns’ director of basketball operations for the previous six years, while Martin was hired in 2022 as the director of recruiting.
This will be Fey’s first assistant coaching job at the collegiate level, but he is no stranger to the sidelines. With his years of Division I experience, the previous four have been spent at App State.
“Bradley has done an outstanding job for our program and App State and has earned this promotion,” Kerns said. “He has been extremely loyal to us and should be rewarded. Bradley is someone who will continue to climb the coaching ranks and we are excited to continue to be a part of his journey. Coach Fey is an integral part of our program and is crucial in the development of our players.”
Fey was on staff for App State’s Sun Belt Conference championship run to the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21 while also being an integral part of App State basketball’s day-to-day operations.
Martin is entering his second season in the High Country after being hired in October 2022. Martin has had two previous assistant coaching jobs, spending one year at Greensboro College and another year at Richard Bland College. The Mocksville, N.C., native has been an integral part in the development of App State basketball for the past year.
“Raheem has been a great addition to our staff,” Kerns said. “He is a first-class person and pours everything he has into this program and players. He has earned this promotion, and we are excited to be a part of his coaching career and development. Coach Martin has a bright future in the coaching profession, and we are excited for him and his family, Abby Sawyer and Ezra, to continue to elevate App State basketball.”
As a member of the Arkansas coaching staff where he served as the coordinator of player development, Martin was a part of two straight Elite Eight teams. He has worked with multiple NBA first-round picks in his career, including Moses Moody and Jaylin Williams.
Coach Kerns and his staff were recently picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll, while also earning two All-Sun Belt nods in Donovan Gregory (first team) and CJ Huntley (third team). This will be Kerns’ fifth year in the High Country in what has been a successful tenure as he has posted a winning season in every year as head coach.
Appalachian State Basketball Staff Update
