Navy has promoted Jon Perry to men’s basketball coach, removing the interim tag that was applied last week when Ed DeChellis announced his retirement.

Scott Strasemeier, senior associate athletic director for sports information, said the team was informed of the decision by athletic director Chet Gladchuk on Tuesday evening.

When contacted Wednesday morning, Perry expressed appreciation that Gladchuk provided this opportunity.

“I think the Naval Academy is an elite institution and what we do here goes far beyond basketball, so I’m really excited and honored for the opportunity to be the next head coach here,” Perry said. “Our mission is to develop and graduate leaders, people with character, integrity and purpose, and that really speaks to me.”

Perry, 46, just completed his 12th season at Navy and held the title of associate head coach before being named interim coach last week. He has spent 24 seasons either coaching or playing for DeChellis.

Perry joined the Navy staff under DeChellis in 2013 and has been a trusted assistant ever since. He played a key role in developing Navy’s offensive game plan, opponent scouting and film breakdown.

Perry also served as recruiting coordinator, director of the Navy Basketball Summer Camps and Clinics and coach of the Navy developmental team. He is also responsible for perimeter player development and instruction, organizing scheduling of nonconference opponents, overseeing student managers and complying with NCAA rules.

DeChellis supported the promotion of his top lieutenant and said Perry has played a crucial role in the program’s success.

“I am excited to watch Jon lead the team in the years to come. He is the right hire for the moment, he understands what it takes to succeed at the academy and will lead the program with enthusiasm, energy and class,” DeChellis said in a news release. “Jon is a tireless worker who possesses all the morals and values you want in a head coach.”

Perry spoke to the players Tuesday night and told them he is motivated by one simple desire: to serve.

“I want to serve this program, serve our players, serve the Naval Academy and serve our fans,” he said.

Perry’s first order of business upon taking over the men’s basketball program will be to convince starting point guard Austin Benigni to remain at the Naval Academy.

Benigni, a first-team All-Patriot League performer, entered the transfer portal last week, a day after DeChellis announced his retirement. The 5-foot-11 junior dynamo led Navy in scoring with 18.8 points per game and in assists (146). He ranked fourth nationally in free throws attempted (255) and was fifth in foul shots made (220).

Perry confirmed last week that Benigni was testing the waters to gauge the interest of higher level programs and said the Navy coaching staff would “do everything we possibly can” to retain his services.

Outside of Benigni, Navy is set to return the rest of its starting lineup from a team that finished 15-19 and 10-8 in the Patriot League. Navy was seeded fifth for the Patriot League Tournament but upset No. 4 seed Boston University and top-seeded Bucknell to reach the championship game. Navy lost to American, 74-52, in the Patriot League Tournament final.

“There is a lot of momentum in the program right now, and the players are working really hard. We’ve shared some adversity together and shared some success together,” Perry said. “We’re just putting our heads down and pushing forward.”

Gladchuk believes Navy will be a top contender for the Patriot League Championship during the 2025-26 season and felt continuity was important at this time.

“All the pieces are in place and our athletes truly believe in each other and the staff. Hiring a new head coach from the outside will cause significant disruption and continuity is the formula to capitalize on the pieces that are now in place,” Gladchuk said in a news release. “The unanimous support for Jon rings throughout the team and I want to give them the opportunity to lead Navy to March Madness next spring.”

Gladchuk announced his retirement earlier this week and said the next Navy athletic director can reassess the Navy men’s basketball program and Perry’s performance.

“At season’s end, my successor as athletic director can evaluate our anticipated success and then make decisions that will continue to advance our ambitions for Navy basketball,” Gladchuk said in the release. “But going into next season, program stability is clearly the formula for Navy basketball to be a championship contender.”

Perry, a native of Milton, West Virginia, played for DeChellis at East Tennessee State and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2002. He was part of the staff when DeChellis led ETSU to a combined record of 47-17 overall and 26-6 in the Southern Conference with two regular season division titles and two tournament titles. ETSU earned automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament in both seasons as an assistant.

Perry followed DeChellis to Penn State, serving four years as the program’s video coordinator before becoming operations director for two years. His responsibilities with the Nittany Lions included scheduling, monitoring academic progress, team travel, player development, basketball camps and overseeing the managers.

Perry left Penn State to become an assistant at Quincy, a Division II school in Illinois. He spent three seasons at Quincy and was elevated to associate head coach.

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