Ed DeChellis has announced he will retire after 14 seasons as the head men’s basketball coach at the Naval Academy and 29 years as a collegiate head coach. DeChellis coached more games (426) at Navy than any other coach in school history, surpassing Ben Carnevale (417) earlier this year.
“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,” said DeChellis. “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 along side 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!”
“Just extending appreciation does not measure up to the immense gratitude our Academy has for Coach Dechellis,” said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. “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. Hundreds of midshipmen have flourished as successful athletes on the court, while also being beneficiaries of his wisdom, experience, tutelage and counsel over the years. Navy Basketball has sustained a well-respected stature on a national level and so many in his profession regard Ed DeChellis as the benchmark for class, integrity and the purity of amateurism. Ed’s personal relationships with his peers and contributions to the game clearly define him as one of the sport’s finest gentlemen and leading diplomats. We wish Ed and Kim and all of the DeChellis family a well-deserved new chapter in their lives together where now everyday will be nothing but a win.”
DeChellis closes out his career with 196 wins at Navy, the third most in school history. He coached in 29 Army-Navy games, tied with Don DeVoe for the most in school history, while his nine conference tournament wins are second only to DeVoe.
All told, in 29 years as a head coach at three different schools, DeChellis won 415 games. He was named conference coach of the year on five occasions (2001 and 2002 at East Tennessee State, 2009 at Penn State and 2021 and 2022 at Navy) and took two different programs to the NCAA Tournament (East Tennessee State in 2003 and Penn State in 2011). In 2009, he led Penn State to an NIT Championship.
DeChellis was one of just seven active head coaches to win at least 100 games at three different schools, joining Steve Alford, John Calipari, Rick Barnes, Kelvin Sampson, Herb Sendek and Buzz Williams. He was one of just 11 head coaches to be named coach of the year by three different conferences.
DeChellis’ streak of being a head coach for 29-consecutive years was the fifth-longest active streak in Division I, trailing only Rick Barnes (38 years), Dana Altman (36 years), Bill Self (32 years), Tom Izzo (30 years) and Steve Alford (30 years).
Navy will begin a national search for its next head coach immediately. Associate head coach Jon Perry has been named the interim head coach.
Navy’s DeChellis announces retirement
