Ed DeChellis announced his retirement on Wednesday after 14 seasons as Navy’s head basketball coach and 29 years as a collegiate head coach. He steps away as the longest-tenured coach in program history (426 games), passing Ben Carnevale earlier this season (417). His 196 wins at Navy rank third all-time, and his nine Patriot League tournament victories are second only to Don DeVoe. He also tied DeVoe for the most Army-Navy games coached at 29.
“It has been a great honor to serve at the Naval Academy, and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach so many exceptional young men,” DeChellis said in a statement. "I would like to thank Chet Gladchuk for giving me that opportunity 14 years ago and for his support and extraordinary leadership during my tenure. The Naval Academy represents a set of timeless values that form the bedrock of our nation. I am proud to have played a small role in advancing those values through sport. I owe a debt of gratitude to all of the players that placed their trust in me and to the talented coaches and other staff members that worked alongside me to help each of our players reach their full potential on and off the court. This program has a bright future, and Kim and I look forward to cheering for the Midshipmen in years to come!"
DeChellis arrived at Navy in 2011 after eight seasons at Penn State, where he led the Nittany Lions to the 2009 NIT championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011. Prior to that, he was the head coach at East Tennessee State from 1996 to 2003, guiding the Buccaneers to an NCAA Tournament berth in his final season and earning Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors twice. Over the course of his career, he won conference coach of the year awards in three different leagues—Southern (2001, 2002), Big Ten (2009), and Patriot League (2021, 2022). He was one of just seven active head coaches to win at least 100 games at three different schools, joining names like John Calipari, Rick Barnes, and Kelvin Sampson.
When DeChellis arrived in Annapolis, he took over a program in transition. His predecessor, Billy Lange, didn't believe in using the prep school or the JV team, but DeChellis felt that being a developmental program was essential for success in Annapolis. He strengthened the NAPS pipeline and reinstated the JV program, which he called the Developmental Team, ensuring a steady influx of players who understood the system before stepping onto the court at Alumni Hall. That patience paid off. Navy steadily improved under his leadership, reaching two 20-win seasons, winning a share of the Patriot League regular-season title in 2021-22—the program’s first since 2000—and advancing to the conference tournament championship game for the first time in over two decades.
Beyond wins and losses, DeChellis also reshaped how Navy was viewed on the national stage. The creation of the Veterans Classic was his vision, and his standing in the coaching world helped bring marquee programs like Michigan State, North Carolina, and Florida to Alumni Hall for the annual season-opening event. DeChellis' reputation among his coaching peers made such an event possible. It became a staple of the college basketball calendar and gave Navy a level of visibility it hadn’t enjoyed in years.
“He has been rock solid in every dimension of leadership as our head coach and as a distinguished representative of the values this institution represents,” said Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk. “So many in his profession regard Ed DeChellis as the benchmark for class, integrity, and the purity of amateurism.”
DeChellis' move to Navy from Penn State in 2011 raised eyebrows at the time, but it was arguably the start of a trend. Over the last few years, established coaches like Mike Brey and Tony Bennett decided to step down, frustrated by a new landscape that prioritized money over teaching and development. Two months before he came to Annapolis, DeChellis had just led Penn State to the NCAA tournament. But he recalled conversations with his good friend Skip Prosser, who once described Navy as a "dream job." In Navy, DeChellis found a place where teaching the game, mentoring players, and building a team from the ground up were still the foundation of the job.
“To my wife, driving home last week, I said, `What do you think?'” DeChellis said at the time. “She just said, `This is who you are, this is what you stand for: morals, ethics, hard work, determination, all those words.'”
With DeChellis stepping aside, Navy will begin a national search for its next head coach. Associate head coach Jon Perry will serve as the interim. One of the first calls could go to Michigan State associate head coach Doug Wojcik. A former Navy player and assistant, Wojcik has extensive head coaching experience and was an instrumental part of Navy's Patriot League success under DeVoe in the 1990s. He has long been seen as a natural fit should the Navy job open up.
DeChellis leaves behind a program with a strong foundation based on development and hard work that will put it on solid footing for the future.
