BOONE, N.C. — App State Men's Basketball has hired
AJ Clark as an assistant coach ahead of the 2026-27 season, head coach
Dustin Kerns announced Thursday.
A Division II NCAA Tournament qualifier as a player and a coach, Clark joins the Mountaineers after two seasons at Eastern Kentucky.
"We are excited to welcome
AJ Clark to our App State Basketball family," Kerns said. "AJ is a rising star in our profession who brings tremendous energy, a relentless work ethic and a passion for developing young men on and off the court.
"He has built a strong reputation as a recruiter, teacher and relationship-builder throughout his career. He is from North Carolina and had a tremendous playing career and impacted a lot of wins! AJ's character, basketball knowledge and commitment to excellence make him a great fit for our culture, and we are thrilled to have him join our staff."
Last season at Eastern Kentucky, Clark helped lead the Colonels to top marks in the Atlantic Sun in offensive rebounding, bench points and 3-pointers made per game. The team's 11.3 long-range connections per contest ranked seventh in the nation. He also helped develop all-conference forward and ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Montavious Myrick as well as guard Turner Buttry, who ranked 10th nationally in free throw percentage.
In 2024-25, Clark helped the Colonels win 18 games, including 12 victories in conference play to finish two wins shy of the league lead. The team ranked among the top 40 teams in college basketball in offensive rebounding, fewest turnovers committed, turnover margin, steals and 3-pointers made. He coached a pair of all-conference honorees and the ASUN Sixth Man of the Year in Mayar Wol.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank Coach Kerns and the administration for welcoming me into the App State Community," Clark said. "Over the last seven years Coach Kerns and his staff have built a brand that stacks up with the elite brands of college basketball; a brand that exemplifies consistency, credibility and culture. Being a North Carolina native and being able to come home and represent the block "A" really means something special. Let's get to work and Go Mountaineers!"
Before joining the EKU staff, Clark served as an assistant coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University for two seasons, helping the Sailfish post the second-best winning percentage in the program's Division II era during the 2023-24 season. The team earned its first regional ranking since the 2019-20 season.
Prior to his time at Palm Beach Atlantic, Clark was an assistant coach, defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Georgia Southwestern State University from 2020-22, highlighted by a trip to the NCAA Tournament with an at-large selection in 2021.
Clark began his collegiate coaching career as assistant at Young Harris College during the 2019-20 season. Prior to joining the college ranks, Clark worked at the grassroots level. He spent two years at Groundwork Player Development and founded the organization's travel ball program. He developed players who went on to play professional basketball in Australia, Portugal, Serbia, Spain and Estonia.
Clark was a standout collegiate player in North Carolina at Pfeiffer University, where he was a four-year captain and three-time team MVP who earned All-America honors in 2017. He led Pfeiffer to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017, scoring over 21 points per game that season. He earned Conference Carolinas Player of the Year honors and led Pfeiffer to a top 25 national ranking that season.
Clark earned a bachelor's degree in sport management from Pfeiffer in 2016 and completed his master's degree in sport management at West Georgia in 2022.
