BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men’s basketball head coach Buzz Peterson announced the addition of four new student-athletes on Tuesday. Anthony Breeze and Omar Carter transfered after two years at Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern, respectively, while Nathan Healy and Ryan Kilmartin enter the season as freshmen.
Peterson said, “We are very excited about having these four young men joining our basketball family.”
The 6-5 Breeze played two seasons at Coastal Carolina, where he was named to the Big South all-freshman squad in 2007-08 after averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 28 games for the Chanticleers. He was twice named the league’s freshman of the week and scored 25 points against Cincinnati.
Last season the Greenville, S.C. native was the team’s second leading scorer with 10.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 28 games with four starts at CCU. He led the team in scoring six times and rebounding four times. He logged a season-best 18 points against Southern Virginia and led the Chanticleers to a 64-57 win over Big South rival UNC Asheville with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and 15 rebounds.
Carter joined Breeze on the Big South all-freshman squad and was named the Big South freshman of the year in 2007-08 at Charleston Southern, after leading the Buccaneers in both scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). The Charlotte native ranked in the top 10 in the conference in both categories as well.
In 2008-09 Carter scored 24 points with 10 rebounds against Coastal Carolina and led his squad with 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with 13.3 points, the second-highest mark on the team. The 6-5 forward helped Charlotte Christian High School to the state championship finals as a senior and earned all-state honors.
Both Breeze and Carter will sit out the 2009-10 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Healy hails from New Bern, N.C., where he scored 19.7 points and grabbed 12 rebounds per game as a senior at New Bern High School. After graduation in 2008, the 6-7 forward attended Blair Academy in New Jersey last season, where he averaged 10 points and six boards for the state championship squad.
Healy twice earned all-conference accolades and was named the New Bern Sun Journal player of the year. He also lettered three times in baseball and earned all-state honors.
Kilmartin follows in his father and uncle’s footsteps in joining the Mountaineers. The 6-4 guard was a two-year starter at Charlotte Catholic High School, where he led the team to its first-ever 3A sectional championship.
He also played for the Charlote Royals AAU team, which won state three times and finished in the national top-15 each of the past two years. In 2006, the Charlotte native earned a silver medal with the Wales (UK) team in the FIBA European Championships.
The four newcomers join 12 returnees from last year’s squad.