BOONE, N.C.  ?  Josh Ealy has been promoted to assistant men's basketball coach at Appalachian State University head coach Houston Fancher announced Friday. Ealy is no stranger to the Mountaineer program, having spent last season as graduate assistant on the ASU staff.

Ealy replaces former assistant Ahmad Smith who resigned to pursue a professional head coaching opportunity in Ireland earlier this summer.

In addition to his on-court responsibilities, Ealy will also serve as the team's academic liaison, coordinate film exchange and video editing and oversee the continued development and expansion of the Mountaineers' summer camp program.

A 2007 graduate of Tusculum College, Ealy played three seasons for the Pioneers and helped lead the squad to the NCAA Division II Tournament and a South Atlantic Conference title 2005. He began his collegiate career at Tennessee Wesleyan before transferring to Tusculum in his hometown of Greeneville, Tenn.