BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University head men's basketball coach Jason Capel announced the hiring of three assistant coaches on Thursday, naming Rick Scruggs, Bobby Kummer and Justin Gainey to his staff. The trio brings more than 40 years of college coaching experience to the Mountaineers.

“I'm very excited about  this staff,” Capel said. “I feel like its a staff with a nice mix of experience, as well as guys that are hungry to get out and recruit. They all have so much experience, in both playing or coaching, that they will be able to develop players. They are all high-character men with great enthusiasm about the University and want to be here.”

Scruggs served as head coach at the Big South's Gardner-Webb for the past 15 seasons, where he compiled a 377-333 record. Scruggs took over the Runnin' Bulldogs in 1995, oversaw the program's transition into NCAA Division I in 2000-01 and led the team to one of college basketball's most memorable upsets, an 84-68 win at Kentucky in 2007. Honorable-mention academic all-America selection Thomas Sanders led that squad, which placed fourth in the Atlantic Sun. He was the A-Sun Coach of the Year in 2005.

Prior to Gardner-Webb, Scruggs served as head coach at Milligan (1994-95), Pikeville (1991-94), Belmont Abbey (1989-91) and North Greenville College (1986-89). At North Greenville, he led the squad to a school-record 30 wins in 1989 as well as the NJCAA National Tournament. He was enshrined in the school's athletic hall of fame in 1999.

The Atlanta, Ga. native earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia in 1979 and received a master's in Sports Coaching from the United States Sports Academy in 1989.

Kummer joins the ASU staff after spending the past six seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Charlotte. The 49ers averaged more than 17 wins in Kummer's six seasons under head coach Bobby Lutz, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2005. Prior to his stint at Charlotte, Kummer served as an assistant coach under Melvin Watkins at Texas A&M from 1998-04, where the he helped recruit first-round NBA Draft selections Acie Law and Antoine Wright.

Kummer got his start in coaching for Watkins at Charlotte from 1996-98,and helped the program to its first back-to-back NCAA appearances. As a player from 1993-96 at Charlotte, the Detroit, Mich. native saw the court in all 114 games over four years and led the team to the 1994 NIT and 1995 NCAA Tournament as Metro Conference champions.

Gainey joins Capel's staff after competing against the Mountaineers last season as an assistant coach at Elon under head coach Matt Matheny. Prior to his season with the Phoenix, he spent three seasons on staff at his alma mater, NC State. With the Wolfpack, Gainey he acted as the liaison between the coaching staff and the academic support personnel. Gainey also assisted in camp planning and served as a camp director, as well as worked toward keeping the program in compliance with NCAA regulations.

Before joining the collegiate coaching ranks, the High Point, N.C. native served as head coach at Cary Academy for three seasons following a professional playing career. He played for Austria's Woerthersee Piratens in 2000-01 and France's Olympique D' Antibes the following season.

As a player at NC State from 1996-2000, he was a three-year starter, acted as a team captain and was an honorable mention all-conference pick as well as an ACC all-Tournament team member during his career. During the 1997 ACC Tournament, Gainey set a league record by becoming the first freshman to play all 40 minutes in four tournament games. His play helped send the Wolfpack to the ACC title game as the No. 8 seed. He ranks ninth in Wolfpack history with 344 assists and fourth in steals with 190.