The Lee Anderson Men’s Head Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen announced the addition of Keith Chesley and Charles Mann Jr. to his staff at Army on Wednesday afternoon. Both Chesley and Mann Jr. will join the program as assistant coaches.
Chesley joins the Army coaching staff after serving the 2020-21 season as the Director of Basketball Operations at James Madison. In his role, he was responsible for all day-to-day operational aspects within the program including player development, team travel, budgeting, equipment, new arena design and game scheduling. With his assistance, the Dukes had a worst-to-first turnaround from the season before. JMU claimed the CAA regular season title and earned the top seed in the conference tournament for the first time in 28 years.
“Keith is coming to Army West Point with a multitude of experience as part of successful college basketball programs,” said Allen, who is entering his sixth year at the helm and 12th overall at West Point. “Keith has the experience of being in charge of all operations of three different Division I programs along with being a graduate assistant at a top-25 program for two years. He has a hunger and work ethic that will add great value to the continued growth of our basketball program and cadet-athletes. Keith’s success on the court as a college player gives him great insight and ability to understand the game. He has taken that knowledge and is already building a great reputation as someone gifted at skill development.”
Prior to joining the Dukes’ staff, he spent the 2019-20 season at Georgia Southern. During his time as Director of Basketball Operations, the Eagles went 20-13 and advanced to the Sun Belt semifinal in a season that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The year before that, he was the Director of Basketball Operations operations at Stetson University.
Chesley got his start in coaching at Florida State, where he was a graduate assistant from 2016-18. The Seminoles advanced to the NCAA Tournament both years he was there, highlighted by a run to the Elite Eight in 2018. Six members of the team went on to sign NBA contracts.
Chesley owns a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in special education from the University of Maine at Augusta, where he was a four-year star on the court. He is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,119 career points. Chesley also enjoyed success in the classroom. A four-time United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Academic All-American, he was also named the organization’s National Student-Athlete of the year in 2015. Chesley additionally earned his master’s in sports management from Florida State in 2018.
“I am honored to now be a part of the West Point family,” Chesley said. “I want to thank Coach Allen for trusting me and giving me this unbelievable opportunity. He and his staff have done an incredible job building this program to where it is today and I’m excited to get to work with our players.”
A native of Clinton, Maine, he resides in Highland Falls.
Mann arrives on the banks of the Hudson after serving as a graduate assistant at VCU for the last two seasons. The Rams went a combined 37-20 in his time with the program and earned a berth to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In his role, he assisted the coaching staff with game preparation and aided in player development.
“Charles has great energy, passion and a tremendous work ethic,” Allen said. “Charles was an elite player in the SEC at Georgia and was able to continue his career overseas. His experience as a player will help him mentor and relate to our cadets on and off the court. He also spent the last two years as a Graduate Assistant on the staff of one of the most respected and successful programs in the country at VCU. His personality and knowledge of the game is a great fit for our staff chemistry and we are very excited to have him join us.”
Prior to his appointment at VCU, Mann spent three years in the professional ranks in the NBA G-League, as well as European and Canadian professional leagues. He was picked in the second round of the 2017 NBA G-League Draft (32nd overall).
Mann was a four-year standout at the University of Georgia from 2012-16. A three-time Preseason First Team All-SEC selection, he ranks sixth in program history in assists (400) and 13th in scoring (1,411 points). The Alpharetta, Ga., native had a knack for getting to the line and finished his career second in SEC history in free throw attempts (896) and sixth in free throws made (618).
Mann earned his undergraduate degree from Georgia in 2016, where he studied human and consumer economics. He obtained his master’s degree in education in sports leadership from VCU in 2021.
“When you welcome opportunity, it tends to lead to exciting things that result in even more opportunities,” Mann said. “I’m excited to be a part of such a great program and am looking forward to working with Coach Allen and the cadet-athletes.”
He currently resides in Highland Falls, N.Y.
Chesley and Mann will join an Army team that played to a 12-10 conference record during the 2020-21 season, which included a split 7-7 mark against conference opponents. The squad’s 18 returners are highlighted by rising senior Josh Caldwell, the reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-Defensive Team, and Jalen Rucker, an All-Rookie Team honoree.
