Navy men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis has once again lined up a strong field for the Veterans Classic. Boston College, Virginia Commonwealth and Harvard will participate in the 11th edition of the annual event, set for Nov. 8 at Alumni Hall.
DeChellis has been a college basketball coach for more than three decades with 28 years spent leading the programs at East Tennessee State, Penn State and Navy. DeChellis has developed a ton of connections at the Division I level during that time and has tapped into them annually when putting together the field for the Veterans Classic, which he founded in 2014.
Trying to convince three programs to come to the Naval Academy for a two-day event is not easy, especially in an era when various television networks have broadcasting rights to certain conferences. Yet year-in and year-out, DeChellis manages to arrange two compelling matchups for the Veterans Classic, which has always been broadcast by CBS Sports Network.
“It’s all about relationships and when you’ve been in the business as long as I have you develop a pretty deep network,” DeChellis said Wednesday.
It was announced Wednesday that Boston College will play Virginia Commonwealth in the opener, while Navy will meet Harvard in the nightcap. DeChellis has long-term relationships with the coaches of each program — Earl Grant of Boston College, Tommy Amaker of Harvard and Ryan Odom of VCU.
“We are excited to once again welcome a talented field to the Veterans Classic. Three great basketball programs from strong academic institutions will make this another great showcase for the Naval Academy as we continue to pay tribute to our nation’s veterans,” DeChellis said in a statement. “I’m really happy and proud of the field. I think we will have two good games.”
DeChellis got to know Amaker well while both were coaching in the Big Ten Conference at Penn State and Michigan, respectively. They share an accomplishment as Amaker led the Wolverines to the National Invitational Tournament title in 2004 and DeChellis directed the Nittany Lions to the NIT championship in 2009.
Amaker has been at Harvard since 2007 and has led the program to seven regular season Ivy League championships. The Crimson have posted seven seasons of 20 wins or more, made four NCAA Tournament appearances and taken three trips to the NIT during his tenure.
“Tommy has done a very good job at Harvard and had a lot of success. He’s been able to get some very talented players and has kept the team in the upper tier of the Ivy League,” DeChellis said.
Harvard posted a 14-13 overall record and 5-9 conference mark during the 2023-24 season and had several key players transfer out including leading scorer and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Malik Mack.
Amaker has restocked the roster through the transfer portal and by signing a seven-player recruiting class. “Harvard will be a challenging opponent. They’ll have good players and will be well coached,” DeChellis said.
Harvard was the first program to commit to the 2024 Veterans Classic and VCU was the second. Odom told DeChellis he needed to play an opponent from a major conference, so that guaranteed that Harvard would play Navy.
Navy vs Temple
Odom participated in the 2021 Veterans Classic while coaching Utah State, which beat Richmond. The former Annapolis resident led VCU to a 24-14 record and a berth in the NIT quarterfinals during his first season at the helm.
VCU played in the inaugural Veterans Classic, losing to Tennessee. This marks the sixth straight season and seventh overall that an Atlantic 10 Conference team has appeared in the event.
“I had an opportunity to participate in this event a couple of years ago and can’t say enough good things about the experience, especially the opportunity for our players to tour the Naval Academy,” Odom said.
Finding a power conference school to play VCU was a challenge for DeChellis since those programs are usually locked into television contracts. DeChellis reached out to Grant, who coached at College of Charleston before taking over at Boston College in 2021.
DeChellis told Grant all about the Veterans Classic and sent along some testimonials from coaches that have previously participated such as Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and North Carolina’s Roy Williams.
“I’ve known Earl for a long time and he’s a good guy. He believed in the mission of the event of honoring our veterans,” DeChellis said. “I give credit to Earl and Boston College for agreeing to play VCU.”
DeChellis noted that VCU, located in Richmond, travels well and should bring a lot of fans to Alumni Hall to help create an impressive atmosphere.
Boston College and VCU have met on just one prior occasion with the latter earning a 69-50 victory on Dec. 28, 2013 in a game played in Brooklyn.
Boston College went 20-16 last season, marking its most wins since amassing 21 during the 2010-11 campaign. The Eagles advanced to the postseason last season for the first time in six years and winning a first-round game in the NIT for the first time since 2011.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has seen three of its teams play in prior Veterans Classics. Top-ranked North Carolina played in the second edition in 2015, Pittsburgh followed in 2017 and Virginia Tech competed in the 2021 showcase.
Boston College has previously played games in Annapolis when it faced Navy during the 1958-59, 1961-62 and 1965-66 seasons.
Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk is a Boston College graduate and served in the same role at his alma mater from 1990-97.
“The Veterans Classic is one of the most respected events in college basketball and we are excited to participate,” Grant said. “Not only will we face a high-caliber opponent in VCU, but our program will have the honor of spending a day with the Midshipmen, learning first-hand about the great history and traditions of the United States Naval Academy. To play at the Naval Academy during Veterans Day weekend will make for a special road trip and experience for our players.”
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