Luke Appel has joined the pipeline from Kirkwood to South Dakota State.

Appel, a 6-foot-8 forward, plans to continue his basketball career at  South Dakota State after averaging 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds as a  sophomore at Kirkwood this year. He was named the co-player of the  year in the ICCAC this season.

Appel will be joining former Kirkwood coach Bryan Petersen and former  Kirkwood All-American Doug Wilson when he arrives at South Dakota State.

Petersen joined the Jackrabbits as an assistant coach this past season  after leading Kirkwood to the NJCAA Division II national title in  2019. Wilson joined the Jackrabbits this season as well after being  named the NJCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2019.

Wilson, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds at  South Dakota State this season as a junior and was named the Summit  League Player of the Year. The Jackrabbits finished 22-10 overall and  13-3 in the Summit, tying for the regular-season title.

Appel helped Kirkwood win the 2019 national title as a freshman. He  shot 56.2 percent from the field this season and hit 37.9 percent of  his 3-pointers.