Tulsa (1-0 / 0-0 American) vs. Rhode Island (1-0 / 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Friday, Nov. 7  I  6:00 p.m.  I  Alumni Hall  I  Annapolis, Md.

Yale (0-0 / 0-0 Ivy League) at Navy (1-0 / 0-0 Patriot League)
Friday, Nov. 7  I  8:30 p.m.  I  Alumni Hall  I  Annapolis, Md.

Video (both games) - CBS Sports Network  I  John Sadak, Steve Lappas, Gary Parrish
Radio (both games) - WNAV  I  Matt Sabados, Emmett Davis

Five Starting Notes
•    This is the 12th edition of the Veterans Classic.
•    Navy is facing an Ivy League opponent for the second year in a row (Harvard) and third time in four seasons (Princeton, 2022). 
•    The Bulldogs won the lone prior game in the series that was played in Alumni Hall (2006-07).
•    Yale has won four Ivy League titles in the last five times it was held, and was picked to win the league again this year.
•    Yale is the first of three 2025 NCAA Tournament teams Navy is playing this season (North Carolina, UNCW).

Game Information
•    The Navy men's basketball team opens its home slate Friday when the Mids play host to Yale at 8:30 p.m.
•    The game is the second of the 12th annual Veterans Classic doubleheader.  Rhode Island plays Tulsa in the first game which tips at 6 p.m.
•    Both games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
•    Locally, Matt Sabados and Emmett Davis will announce both games on WNAV.

Attending the Games
•    Only those vehicles driven by someone with a Department of Defense (DoD)-approved identification card will be allowed onto the USNA.
•    Fans without DoD approved vehicle access to the USNA must park outside of The Yard.  The simplest way to do this is to take the free shuttle bus, which starts running at 4 p.m.
•    The shuttle bus will depart from and return to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401).  Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue.  There is a $10 per vehicle parking fee.  The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet.  
•    Whether a visitor rides the shuttle bus or walks through one of the USNA gates, everyone ages 18 and over must have a valid picture ID (i.e.: State issued driver's license with REAL ID or a government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult. Foreign passports are not permitted for general access.

Perry Has Successful Debut as Head Coach
•    Jon Perry entered the 2025-26 season having been part of 366 Navy games in his 12 years as an assistant coach to Ed DeChellis.  Navy's Nov. 3, 2025, game at Presbyterian marked his first as the head coach of the Mids.
•    Navy posted a 76-55 victory in Perry's debut as the head coach.
•    Navy compiled an 82-64 overall record and a 53-32 mark against Patriot League foes over the last five years and put together a winning record against league opponents in six of the last nine years (80-67 record in league games during this span).  
•    The Mids reached the championship game of the 2022 and '25 Patriot League Tournaments after they won their division in 2021, placed second in the league in 2022, tied for second in 2023 and tied for third in 2025.
•    Additionally, the 2024-25 season was Perry's 23rd of either playing for or coaching alongside DeChellis.
•    Perry was named the 20th head coach of the program on April 2, 2025. 
•    Over the last 100 seasons, Navy head coaches have posted a 7-4 record in their debut game.

Staff Roles
•    Jon Perry's staff has the following responsibilities:
    * Brett Barron (3rd season) - Director of Scouting
    * Chase Coleman (1st season) - Director of Player Development and Operations
    * Zack Curran (1st season) - Recruiting Coordinator
    * Jordan Lyons (3rd season) - Offensive Coordinator
    * Scott Wagers (1st season) - Defensive Coordinator 

DeChellis Staying Busy
•    Ed DeChellis retired following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.  He had spent the last 14 seasons as the head coach of the Mids after he previously served as the head coach at East Tennessee State (1996-97 to 2002-03) and Penn State (2003-04 to 2010-11).
•    DeChellis was named to the NABC Tournament Advisory Committee, a group of former men's basketball coaches who will provide season-long feedback to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
•    Fellow members of the committee are Scott Davenport, Fran Dunphy, Jeff Jones, Phil Martelli, Norm Roberts, Tubby Smith and Gary Waters.

About the 2025-26 Navy Team
•    Navy returns from the 2024-25 season:
    * all 5 starters
    * 14 of 19 letter winners
    * 18 of 26 players

•    Navy leads the NCAA with 86.6 percent of its scoring back from last year.

Most Returning Scoring – NCAA
1. Navy – 86.6%
2. Purdue – 79.6%
3. VMI – 78.5%
4. Harvard – 77.2%
5. Boston U. – 73.6% 

•    Navy is one of nine teams in the country that returns at least 65 percent of its points, rebounds and assists from last season.

Navy Atop Preseason Polls
•    The Mids placed first in the 2025-26 Patriot League Preseason Poll of head coaches.
•    Additionally, senior guard Austin Benigni was named the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year.
•    Not to be outdone, the Navy women's team also placed first in the preseason poll and junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay was named the preseason player of the year.

Yale Preview
•    Yale compiled an overall record of 22-8 last season and placed first –– by four games –– during the Ivy League regular season with a 13-1 record. 
•    The top-seeded Bulldogs won Ivy League Madness for the fourth time in the last five years in which it was held.
•    Yale has posted an Ivy League regular season record of 45-11 and an overall record of 85-39 over the last four seasons, which includes a 2024 NCAA Tournament victory over Auburn.
•    The Bulldogs placed first in the 2025-26 Ivy League Preseason Poll.  Yale received all 21 available first-place votes in the balloting.
•    Yale head coach James Jones is in his 27th season at the school.  He ranks second in Ivy League history for the most seasons as a men's basketball coach (29, Pete Caril, Princeton) and is second with 418 career wins (514, Caril).
•    His brother, Joe Jones, is the head coach at Boston U.

Series Notes
•    Navy and Yale first met during the 1911-12 season when the Mids won an 11-9 game over the Bulldogs (site unknown).
•    Friday's game will be the first in the series since the teams played during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.  Yale won both of those games.
•    Navy holds a 14-7 advantage in the series, including a 6-5 edge in games played in Annapolis.  The Bulldogs won the lone prior game to be played in Alumni Hall, 74-59, on Dec. 30, 2006.

On This Date 
•    Navy won its lone previous game played on Nov. 7.

Against This State 
•    Navy has posted a 27-11 record against teams located in Connecticut.

Navy vs. Ivy League in Annapolis
•    Navy has posted a 56-51 record against Ivy League teams when the game was played in Annapolis.
•    This includes a 10-9 record when the game was played in Alumni Hall

Yale vs. Patriot League on the Road
•    Yale has posted a 35-57 record in road games played against current teams in the Patriot League.
  
Navy vs. 2025 NCAA Tournament Teams
•    The Mids will play games this season against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams Yale, North Carolina and UNCW.  
•    This is just the third time since Navy joined the Patriot League in 1991-92 in which it will play as many as three non-league games against teams that appeared in the previous year's NCAA Tournament (2006-07, 2021-22). 

Veterans Classic
•    This Friday marks the 12th playing of the Veterans Classic.
•    This year's games feature Tulsa vs. Rhode Island and Yale vs. Navy.
•    Traditionally held on or around the Veterans Day holiday weekend, the event pays tribute to veterans of all our armed forces.
•    The three visiting teams immerse themselves in the USNA on Thursday through tours of ship simulators, helicopters, and ships.  They then eat lunch in King Hall with members of the Brigade of Midshipmen.
•    Veterans of all service branches are honored during the course of the doubleheader.

Veterans Classic Annual Results 
Nov. 14, 2014
(15 AP / 16 USA Today) VCU 85, Tennessee 69 / (18 / 18) Michigan State 64, Navy 59
Nov. 13, 2015
(1 / 1) North Carolina 91, Temple 67 / Florida 59, Navy 41
Nov. 11, 2016
Marquette 95, Vanderbilt 71 / Ohio State 78, Navy 68
Nov. 10, 2017
(RV / 25) Alabama 82, Memphis 70 / Navy 71, Pittsburgh 62
Nov. 9, 2018
Wichita State 83, Providence 80 / Maryland 78, Navy 57
Nov. 8, 2019
(24 / 23) Auburn 76, Davidson 66 / Navy 62, East Carolina 57
Nov. 25, 2020
Navy 78, George Washington 71
Nov. 12, 2021
Utah State 85, Richmond 74 / Virginia Tech 77, Navy 57
Nov. 11, 2022
(3 / 3) Houston 81, Saint Joseph's 55 / Navy 74, Princeton 73
Nov. 10, 2023
Duquesne 90, College of Charleston 72 / Temple 75, Navy 68
Nov. 8, 2024
VCU 80, Boston College 55 / Navy 85, Harvard 80

From the Veterans Classic to the NBA
•     15 Veterans Classic alumni were on NBA rosters at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
•    That brings the total number of Veterans Classic players to advance to the NBA to 39.
•    Six Veterans Classic players have won an NBA title and 17 were selected in the NBA Draft.

Veterans Classic Players on 2025-26 NBA Rosters (as of opening night)
Jamison Battle (George Washington / 2020) - Toronto
Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton / 2022) - New York
Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida / 2015) - Houston
Rasheer Fleming (Saint Joseph's / 2022) - Phoenix
Sam Hauser (Marquette / 2016) - Boston
Herbert Jones (Alabama / 2017) - New Orleans
Luke Kornet (Vanderbilt / 2016) - San Antonio
Isaac Okoro (Auburn / 2019) - Chicago
Marcus Sasser (Houston / 2022) - Detroit
Jamal Shead (Houston / 2022) - Toronto
Max Shulga (VCU / 2024) - Boston
Jalen Smith (Maryland / 2018) - Chicago
Jae'Sean Tate (Ohio State / 2016) - Houston
Jarace Walker (Houston / 2022) - Indiana
Aaron Wiggins (Maryland / 2018) - Oklahoma City

A Look Back
•    Navy opened its 2025-26 season Monday night with a 76-55 victory at Presbyterian.
•    The Mids used a 16-5 run to take a 27-15 lead  with just under six minutes remaining in the first half.  The lead would expand to 20 points (37-17) at halftime and soon grew to 30 points (58-28) with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
•    Navy shot 49 percent from the field for the game and limited Presbyterian to an overall mark of 39 percent.  The Blue Hose also were just 3-21 (14.3%) from three-point range and didn't make a triple until the second half.
•    Aidan Kehoe was 9-11 from the floor in scoring 19 points.  
•    Jordan Pennick made a trio of three-point baskets to score 13 points.
•    Austin Benigni totaled 11 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

A Look Ahead
•    Navy travels to Happy Valley for a Tuesday night game at Penn State.
•    The Mids are playing the Nittany Lions for the first time since Dec. 4, 1985, when David Robinson and teammates won a 103-50 decision in Halsey Field House.  That year's Navy team would advance to the Elite 8 round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament.
•    Navy last played at Penn State on Dec. 4, 1984.

Lots of TV Time
•     Navy has been selected to appear on the CBS Sports Network a minimum of five times during the regular season.
•    The Mids will appear on the network Nov. 7 against Yale, Jan. 12 at American, Feb. 9 at Bucknell and both games against Army (Jan. 24 in Annapolis and Feb. 21 at West Point).  
•    Navy's Feb. 28 home game against Colgate also could be chosen to be televised by the network.
•    Navy previously played five regular season games on the network during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.  Including postseason games, the Mids were on the CBS Sports Network seven times during the 2021-22 season and five times during the 2016-27, 2018-19 and 2024-25 seasons. 
•    The Mids enter the season having appeared on the network 70 times since its inception as College Sports Television (CSTV) in 2004-05.
•    Also, Navy's Veterans Day game at Penn State will be aired on the Big Ten Network in what will be the second time (Nov. 27, 2020, at Maryland) in which the Mids appear on the network since it was launched in the fall of 2007.  
•    Additionally, the team's Nov. 18 game at North Carolina (7 p.m.) will be carried by the ACC Network.  Navy's two previous appearances on the network –– which began during the fall of 2019 –– were during the 2021-22 season when the Mids won a 66-58 game at Virginia and played at Louisville.

Happy Anniversary
•     The 2025-26 season marks 40 years since the 1985-86 Mids advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
•    Behind then-junior David Robinson, Navy compiled a 30-5 overall record and defeated Tulsa, Syracuse and Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke in the regional final.  
•    Robinson was the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and earned multiple All-America accolades.  He averaged 22.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game.  He recorded 207 blocks on the year, which bettered every team in the country except for the 213 by eventual national champion Louisville.
•    The 30 victories remains a service academy record.

Woods to Captain Mids
•     Mike Woods will serve as the captain of the men's basketball team for the 2025-26 season.

Service Assignments Announced Soon
•     Seniors at the USNA will learn of their service assignment in either the Navy or Marine Corps over lunch on Thursday, Nov. 20.

Home in Alumni Hall
•     Alumni Hall has been home to the Navy basketball teams since the 1991-92 season.
•    The Mids have compiled an overall record of 289-189 record in the facility.
•    There have been 61 future NBA players to play in Alumni Hall since it opened.
•    The court was christened Dave Smalley Court during the 2005-06 season.
•    Smalley was associated with Navy athletics for over 50 years as a player, coach, physical education instructor and administrator.
•    The 1957 graduate of the USNA scored 856 points during his three varsity seasons.  He also played on the Navy baseball team before he served five years as an officer in the Marine Corps.
•    Smalley later served as an assistant coach for the men's team for four years before becoming the head coach beginning with the 1966-67 season.  He stayed in that role until becoming the first Navy women's basketball coach in the summer of 1976.

Navy Good Again on the Offensive Boards
•    Navy has been very good over the last number of years at winning the offensive rebound margin.
•    The Mids are +1,053 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.

Second-Chance Points 
•    Navy has regularly turned those second-chance opportunities into points. 
•    The Mids are +949 in second-chance points over the last 12 seasons.

Three-Point Plays 
•    Austin Benigni and Donovan Draper lead the team for the most three-point play opportunities.
•    Benigni has had at least one three-point play opportunity in 32 career games, as well as in 27 of the 66 games since the start of his sophomore year.

Benigni Scores 1,000th Point
•    Austin Benigni became the 27th Mid to score 1,000 career points during Navy's Jan. 18, 2025, game at Bucknell.
•    He reached the milestone in his 81st career game.  That ranks him 12th for the fewest games needed to score 1,000 points.
•    Benigni is in 17th place for the most career points by a Mid with 1,322 points.  

Draper's Steals and Rebounds
•    Donovan Draper spent the 2021-22 academic year as a football player at the Naval Academy Prep School.  He then was wide receiver at Navy on the 2022-23 team.
•    Draper, who was an all-county basketball player in high school, joined the Navy basketball team in the spring of 2023.
•    After going 994 days between his last high school basketball game and first as a Mid, he made an immediate impact as he ranked among the Patriot League and NCAA leaders in multiple statistical categories (steals, offensive rebounds, total rebounds).
•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in steals and steals per game.
•    Navy has scored on 91 of the 175 possessions (52.0%) in which Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper ranks among the Navy leaders for the most career offensive rebounds and the highest career offensive rebounding average.
•    Donovan Draper is the second Mid to have totaled over 500 points and 500 rebounds in their first two seasons with the team.
•    He is one of five Mids have posted 500 points and 500 rebounds by the end of their junior season.

Kehoe on the Boards
•    Aidan Kehoe set a Navy record in 2024-25 for the most offensive boards by a Mid in a season.
•    Kehoe also ranked third at Navy for the most defensive rebounds in a season with his effort last year.
•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in offensive rebounding average.

Kehoe Shooting
•    Aidan Kehoe ranked second at Navy for the highest field goal percentage in a single season in 2024-25.
•    Kehoe also ranks among the Navy leaders for career field goal percentage.