Navy men’s basketball head coach Ed DeChellis was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year on Tuesday when the league announced its major award winners and all-league teams for the 2020-21 season.  Joining DeChellis from Navy in earning accolades were Cam Davis (Sr., Battlefield, Mo.), who received first-team all-league honors, and Richard Njoku (Jr., Washington, D.C.), who was named to the league’s all-defensive team.

The league’s head coaches voted for all of the awards.  They were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Navy, the top-seeded team in the Patriot League Tournament, will play host to ninth-seeded Loyola Saturday at noon in a quarterfinal round game.  The Greyhounds were slated to play a first-round game at No. 8 Holy Cross Wednesday, but earlier today it was announced that the Crusaders will not be able to play due to a positive COVID-19 test within the program.

This is the first time DeChellis has been named coach of the year at Navy, but it is the fourth coach-of-the-year accolade –– from three conferences –– he has earned during his 25-year career as a head coach.  He first received the award in 2001 (voting by media, voting by head coaches) and 2002 (coaches) from the Southern Conference when he was at East Tennessee State.  DeChellis then was tabbed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2009 (media) during his stint at Penn State.

Previous Navy Patiot League coach-of-the-year recipients have been Don DeVoe (1994, 1997 [co], 2000, Patriot League) and Billy Lange (2008, Patriot League).  Additionally, Paul Evans was named the 1985 coach of the year in the ECAC South Conference.

Navy was selected to finish in fourth place in the Patriot League this season.  As has happened more often than not during the 10 years DeChellis has been on The Yard, the Mids exceeded expectations and earned the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.  This is the sixth time in the last seven years in which Navy has improved upon its preseason prediction by at least three placings.

The Mids have compiled a 15-2 overall record, a mark that includes Navy’s first victory over Georgetown since the 1976-77 season, with the team’s only non-league loss coming to a Maryland team that has posted a 15-10 record.  Navy started the season with a 10-1 overall record, which was the best for the program since the 1946-47 team also tallied 10 wins in its first 11 games.  The Mids put together a 12-1 record in league play to earn the No. 1 seed outright for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign.

“I am humbled by this award,” said DeChellis.  “It goes without saying I have an outstanding team of talented young men to coach.  The credit for this award goes to them, along with assistant coaches Emmett Davis, Drew Gibson, Adam Notteboom and Jon Perry, strength coach Brandon Spayd and athletic trainer Hannah Jaussen, who kept putting us back together during this COVID season.  They all did an incredible job, and I am so proud to work with them daily!  I accept this award on their behalf.”

https://navysports.com/news/2021/3/2/mens-basketball-dechellis-named-league-coach-of-the-year-davis-and-njoku-earn-honors.aspx