2023-24 Patriot League Previews: Navy Midshipmen

2022-23 Regular Season Result: 18-13 (11-7) Tied for 2^nd in Patriot League

2023 Patriot League Tournament Result: Lost in Quarterfinals to American  

Coach: Ed DeChellis (13th season)

Key Departures: Daniel Deaver (Forward), Sean Yoder (Guard), Tyler Nelson (Forward), Patrick Dorsey (Guard), Christian Jones (Guard)

Key Additions: Jackson Noble (Forward), Cam Cole (Guard), Reiss Whitaker (Forward), Ethan DeLaurier (Center), Boston Bonifay (Forward)

2023-24 looks to be a rebuilding year for Navy basketball. The Mids graduated their five leading scorers and will not have the majority of last year’s starting lineup suiting up this year. Daniel Deaver who made the all-conference first team last season will be the biggest loss his 13.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game will be difficult to replace. He was not the only Midshipmen to make an all-conference team Sean Yoder was named to the all-second team and all-defensive team while Tyler Nelson was named to the all-third team. Yoder was a defensive pest and Nelson was a scorer who could also clean the glass.

Despite Navy’s tremendous losses it is hard not to give Ed DeChellis the benefit of the doubt. The rebuilding and subsequent sustaining of success that he has done at the Naval Academy which, like the other service academies, is arguably one of the tougher jobs in the country is remarkable. He took a program that went 3-26 and 0-14 in the conference in his first season to a program that has had three straight top two finishes and a 2021 regular season title. The system he has built just works. Another head coach in the league told me that his teams are always really tough to prepare for because they just so disciplined and physically tough.

Navy prides it program on defense. The Midshipmen allowed the fewest points per game in the league last season. Teams scored on average less than 65 points when facing Navy. With the system and the coach remaining the same there is no reason to assume why Navy will not continue to put forth a strong showing on the defensive side of the ball. What I think will keep Navy lower in the standings this season will be the offense. The Mids lost a lot of offensive scoring. The five impact players that are not returning Deaver, Yoder, Nelson, Dorsey, and Jones combined for 51.2 points per game. I look at this situation of trying to replace all of that scoring as more comparable to the situation at Boston University with the Terriers losing their starting lineup rather than Navy’s military counterparts in West Point who were less balanced with Rucker accounting individually for a large chuck of the lost scoring. Navy does have the benefit of a large service academy roster so there are guys who have been in the program on a day-to-day basis. However, I don’t trust the ability of the ability of guys who might be in the 13^th through 18^th position to suddenly emerge as game changers.

Austin Inge is a quality guard. I would like to see him be able to get to the line more where he thrived late in the season. He will also need to take on a bigger role in terms of facilitating the offense now that he is not sharing time and sometimes playing behind Yoder and Nelson. Kam Summers is another player who I think could be good for Navy. He played well in a limited role in 2022-23. Summers only saw the court in 16 games. Austin Benigni is in a similar position to Summers where I liked his play in the rotation. Hopefully, he elevates it in what should be a bigger role.

With Inge, Summer, and Benigni Navy should be fine in the backcourt. The areas of concern for me are with the bench and the front court. Both concerns stem from lack of players with high levels of experience. It could also very well play out that Navy’s system just reloads and they are just fine. Navy is similar to Holy Cross in that both teams I have some questions about, but I could also see things falling into place and them surpassing my predictions. With Holy Cross it is issues with the front court, Paulsen being in his first season, and much of the supporting cast being the same from a bad team. With Navy I have questions about the lack of experience in the big men and role players. If either program figures it out early though we could see different results. That being said I just think with the amount of roster and leadership turnover in Annapolis it will be an uphill battle.

I expect Navy to finish 7^th.

I’ve put a lot of effort into these previews. Many hours were spent researching, interviewing, and writing in depth previews for all ten of the Patriot League men’s basketball teams. I enjoy covering the conference and my goal is to provide the best national coverage of Patriot League Men’s Basketball. If you enjoyed the coverage and would like to support my work my PayPal username is @HappeningHoops while obviously not expected any and all donations are always welcomed. Thank you!

All Team Previews

1. Colgate
2. Lehigh
3. American
4. Loyola
5. Lafayette
6. Holy Cross
7. Navy
8. Bucknell
9. Boston
10. Army