National Signing Day: Gainesville basketball's Josh Hayes signs scholarship with Appalachian State

Ainslie Lee, The Gainesville Sun
·2 min read

Gainesville basketball standout Josh Hayes celebrated his 18th birthday by signing on the dotted line — an action that many parents might caution their kids not to do in their first day as a legal adult.

However, Hayes' parents couldn't have been happier with their son's decision as he signed the dotted line of his National Letter of Intent, securing his spot with the Appalachian State men's basketball team on National Signing Day.

"It feels good. It's official now," Hayes said after the fact.

Hayes' decision to join the Mountaineers comes after a long recruitment process that started the summer of his sophomore season, when college coaches are first able to reach out to prospects.

While Western Carolina and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro were among the first to offer Hayes, the 6-foot-9 power forward also garnered attention fromSouth Carolina and Georgia.

However, when it came time to shorten his list, it came down to Jacksonville University and Appalachian State.

Hayes had an opportunity to visit Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., early in September and quickly felt at home.

"The tailgating and meeting everybody ... how nice they were," Hayes said. "And the mountains of course. It's gorgeous."

From a basketball standpoint, Hayes felt that the Mountaineers' staff, which is piloted by Dustin Kerns, was genuine and immediately laid out what his impact would be on the floor.

And while it's easy to get caught up in the future now that he's signed his letter of intent, Hayes hasn't lost focus of what he wants to accomplish in his senior campaign with the Hurricanes.

Hayes transferred to Gainesville from The Rock in the offseason after helping the Lions to a 25-8 record last season.

Now with the 'Canes, Hayes looks forward to seeing what he and the rest of the roster can accomplish this coming season.

"The main goal is to win and try to make it to Lakeland and win a state championship," Hayes said. "But I really want to make my teammates better. I want the seniors to have a chance to get the opportunity that I got."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Signing day: Josh Hayes inks scholarship with Appalachian State Basketball