#21 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #131 R.P.I. Navy:   

Virginia Tech men’s basketball now plays host to one of the well-fabled American Service Academies on Veteran’s Day+1. (How U.S.N. and V.T.C.C. fitting, alike). Godspeed and great-hunting @both!!!

The Hokies now however get to find out a bit about what being hunted itself is all about. This is not VeeTee sneaking up a bit on a Super-‘Nova as the O.C.C. (out-of-conference) hunter last year. This is hearing footsteps over your shoulder for the very first time for Mike Young and Co. And let me tell you, me and my peeps are very juicy to see how the stalker handles being… stalked! As this Naval Squadron is at least Light Cruiser quality, or maybe closer to a Heavy (CA)? Nonetheless, you wanna know who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, read on… to find, out!

Naval Head Coach: Edward Richard DeChellis: Age=62, 348–400 (.465) overall, and 129–169 (.433) @Navy. Has a rep’ for: defenses, rebounding and ball-management.
$450,000.oo

DeChellis was the head coach of the East Tennessee State University Men’s Basketball program from 1996 to 2003, winning three Southern Conference north division titles (2000–03). Prior to joining East Tennessee State, DeChellis served as an assistant coach at Salem College (WVa.) and Penn State University.

In 2003, DeChellis inherited a Penn State team that had gone 7–21 the previous two seasons. In his first two seasons, Penn State won 9 and 7 games, respectively, before finishing 15–15 in 2005–06. During this time, DeChellis recruited Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley to P.S.U.

Despite DeChellis’ widely critiqued decision to release promising sophomore Milos Bogetic from his scholarship, the 2007–08 Nittany Lions entertained hopes of being a dark-horse contender in the Big Ten and possibly even winning enough games to get into the NCAA Tournament. Those hopes were quickly disintegrated when senior forward Geary Claxton went down with an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January. The Lions were plagued with more injuries when junior forward Jamelle Cornley battled a bruised knee all season. The Lions went 15–16 in the 2007–08 season in a team that started four freshmen in the end. Highlights included upset wins over top-10 ranked Michigan State and top-20 ranked Indiana.

DeChellis led the Lions to a 21–10 regular season in 2008–09, equaling the Penn State record for regular-season wins. The Nittany Lions were 10-8 in the Big Ten, the most for Penn State since 1995–96. DeChellis was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Nittany Lions went on to win the 2009 National Invitation Tournament (N.I.T.), the first national tournament title in Penn State Men’s Basketball history.

In the 2010-2011 season, DeChellis’ Nittany Lions earned a spot in the N2AA Tournament, the school’s first since 2000-2001. The 10th-seeded Lions fell in the opening round to the 7th-seed Temple Owls.

On May 23, 2011, it was announced that DeChellis would leave Penn State to become the head coach at Navy. Coach De’ has 5 conference titles to his claim and one N.I.T.! He also has tallied 3 Conference Coach of the Year awards— which is most impressive for carrying a negative career maker. (Never seen that before in point of fact???)

DeChellis.edu holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University. Daddy DeChellis was born in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburb of Monaca and has three daughters
and 2 dogs (Cooper and Lola) and one wife; Kim.

Navy at a glance:

• 10th best in 3-pointer shooting percentage!!!
• 76th in swats! (They try: hard, surprise!) ; )
• 256th in Turnovers/game! (Little backcourt loose here for (s)Low-tempo).
• 281st in FTA’s (perimeter team du jour).
• Everything else is pretty centrist enuff…
• Nothing super-bad, and nothing that epic short of 22 feet, 1 ¾ inch.
• NO Injuries listed “THX” @Coach God!!!

Returning Starters=4

Navy: 15 up and 3 down last year, with a nifty 12-1 Patriot League marker!

Navy Strengths:

• …whispers say: “one of the deeper Navy teams in a spell.”
• Experienced team too… 9 of their returning Top-1o are all upperclassman.

• Sean Yonder has surprised early on this year. The 6′3″, 2oo lb., third-year off-G is a scrapper. Who plays mo’ for his covering than for anything else. Although he has been dinged up off/on and that has prolly been in the way of his shooting (31% career-long). IF, he is right this year he can do damage from range— just ask hooVa. Mormon Naval kid who they excused for a Misson Trip. Was something of a lower-level (AA) Keystone State scorer in high school. Does seem to do better on the bigger stage to boot.
• One, #1, John Carter Jr. is Navy’s best returning offensive baller on paper; and 2nd-leading scorer (11.2 ppg) last campaign. A 6′4″, 195 lb. Sr. season Pt.Guard. Who holds a lotta personal and regional scholastic (Tennessee) offensive records. Was something of a recruiting coup for it too. Lindy’s ranked him 1st-best on this year’s Roster. Best free-thrower (83%), and a decent shooter from downtown (33%). Good for low-teens in ppg terms most nights, though does capitalize on a few outburst or blow-torch nights here-n-there when he nets it going from beyond the arc. Team Captain, who seems a bit more kinetic than most on tape.

  

• Falls Church, Va. Commonwealth escapee: Daniel Deaver is a rarified legit Post at: 6′8″, 235 lbs. of Jr. year workmanship. Seems well fit to the Nor.Atlantic in WWII terms. As this naval hardwood vessel works better with this modified/strapping Point-F out on the floor. 8 ppg, a team-leading 7 rpg, and a slick 7 apg all conspire to say so. Daniel is one of those glue-guys who does all the little things right. Naval architecture and marine engineering tells you exactly what he has designs on adhesively being “next”. Tho’ for now he’s got a little range (30% deep) and more skills than his build would first-glance suggest.
• Greg Summers:  6′4″, 2oo lb, Sr. Prolly thought to be the offensive alpha in lieu of Mr. Davis down below. Lil’ bro (Kam) is on the team, so that’s pretty cool. Seems to have a family genome game working; as everyone has played college hoops, literally. Aerospace engineering major and has collected a bunch off-court awards for courting, working, and civics alike. Prolly an up-n-comer career-wise for it, or so you’d have to promotional expect. As hoops goes… 4-year starter at S/G, so experience Greg gots. Hovers at/around 11 ppg most seasons. Rebounds like a freak for his size (6.8 rpg last year) and yet lacks shooting acumen (19% long at best/most career-wise). More of a Jerry West era mid-range 2 if you will.

Navy Weaknesses:

• Last year’s leading scorer: (Cam Davis, G) is prolly an overseas Pro’. IF/when he is still two-year-commitment good-to-go. As his ≅18 ppg and far and away the best offensive threat in several seasons will be Annapolis missed. As this was a once every recruiting cycle do-it-ALL literal all-’round gym-rat hoopster.
• Navy is not quite lightweight, although their 2 tall guys are prolly a year away. So, you’d have to take them into the paint and challenge the shorter guys on drives to the rack.

Middies Bench: (depth=5-n-change, they shore-leave a lotta guys here; seriously, one could dare type: “Navy comes at you in… waves”?)

Jaylen Walker is a reasonable do-it-all or utility post-sub’ (pardon the professional pun) upfront.  6′5″, 215 lb., Jr., S/F who will play the Four. And who works/worms his way to: 6 ppg on 3 rpg with okay enough shooting. Kinda has a football physique to him as well.

Richard Njoku is said to be *the* defensive stopper at Annapolis; and Eye’d have to think that Service Academy counts. As this kid is an anchoring floor burn, who is a can’t play strawberry for most mere land-lubber civilians anywhere else.  6′7″, 235 lb., final-year baller, and Navy’s one legit Big in the rotation. As this is a strong kid who will use the same if/when need be down low in the paint. Tough kid who industrializes his way to nearly 8 ppg and 4 rpg in relief. Tho’ FT-shooting (right at 50% lifer) is not his best look. Tho’ All-Patriot League 1st-string Defensive Team is pretty, shiny.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Middies who could ship @Tech=2 maybe 3?

the takeaway:

Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Maryland; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EST

The Takeaway is… so, when I asked my peeps up on 2021-2o22 men’s hoops… they said…

“We won’t know anything until we play Memphis.”

…then they paused, reflectively enough, and added…

---

“…Unless we know something vs. Navy.”

^^^their^^^ credits due… this is why Eye said what I said to close the Maine preview.

And if you are doubting my appointment on that… just ask Tee.Jay how Old Navy looks!

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a December ask back once we hit Audubon hoops or round-robins.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… The Hokies are up a stunning +16% in shooting percentage margin (just a bit more was from D itself); tho’ Navy is up +3% in 3-point percentage margin (Navy dead-eye/ringers on O, tho’ V.Tech defends the 3′ better itself), and yet the Middies are up a really noticeable scraper looking +9 boards on the glass in rebounding margin!

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… this is only game #2, b.street!
Dumbass!!!

Navy is up +10% at the charity stripe for the year.
Navy is a .ooo host; whereas VeeTee is .ooo as a guest. (1st game each way, no blood yet).
Nobody is up +anything in R&R. Although, VeeTee must travel 3o8-miles Nor-by-Nor-East.

The Call...

No.94 Net Ranking Navy @ No.48 Net Ranking Virginia Tech:

So, the ‘buzz’ (pardon the pun) coming outta “Remember the Maine” was…

1. …we needed to rebound a bit better.
2. …and we needed to defend even better than that.

…as one could say we fought skillfully, although we fought small at times vs. Maine and really only relied on our good O to be our best D.

Which does have the makings of being offensive enough; granted.

–oOo–

The Closer...

…that squarely struck… we’d better not let this spunky little Navy team swabbie our poop-deck and pop clean with a Big-Offensive from range nite @home here.

As they are a crafty bunch of little men, who needs to be treated the same.
Fight BIG-here Hokies. Punch downhill.
Don’t fight from a crouch.

• …test their athletics and beat them downcourt for easily early looks.
• …if/when that is not there and Navy gets back? Dump it into the key and Four/Five let “size matters” begin to add up.

As it sure looks like we are missing some stoppers from last year to me, even if our O may be a bit silkier for it.

1, 2, 3, 4… 5

This one is a strange one… we are Navy’s World Series and Super Bowl all rolled into one.

And that makes this one a close one and a dicey one— and if you wanna give
the $1 bid an early OPT Price is Right look?

Now might not be the worst time…

⚓️🏀🦃

(59% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=73, Navy=52

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**