Appalachian State University men’s basketball and head coach Jim Fox announced the addition of transfer guard Joseph Battle to the program on Monday.
Battle, a 6-foot, three-inch guard was a heralded player coming out of the state of South Carolina as a 2015-16 Gatorade Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, as well as, Mr. Basketball for the state of South Carolina.
“We are excited to add someone of Joseph’s caliber to our program. Even though he will sit out next season from competition, Joseph will make an immediate impact to our team with his competitive nature and desire to improve himself and others around him. His contagious attitude will be infectious for our team beginning this summer when he steps on campus,” App State head coach Jim Fox said.
He appeared in 14 games for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane last season, totaling 13 points and nine rebounds in 52 total minutes played. Battle made his debut off the bench against Wichita State on Nov. 16 and scored a season-high four points in five minutes off the bench in a win against UCF on Jan. 28.
As a senior at Abbeville High School, Battle averaged 31.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals, earning Class 2A Player of the Year honors and leading the Panthers to the Class 2A state championship. In that title game, Battle scored 32 points.
He averaged 23.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a junior and shot better than 50.0 percent from the field in each of his last two seasons – finishing his career with a scoring average of 23.0 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest.
Battle set a school record by scoring more than 1,800 points and became the state’s leading scorer as a senior en route to Class 2A Region 2 Player of the Year.
While in high school, along with playing basketball, Battle was a prolific dual-threat quarterback on the gridiron. Battle led Abbeville to the 2015 Class 2A football state title, accounting for six total touchdowns in the title game en route to South Carolina High School Football Offensive Player of the Year.
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