ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Navy associate head men's basketball coach Emmett Davis announced his retirement on Tuesday after 40 years in coaching, 22 of those at the Naval Academy where he won 17 N-Stars.
In his Division I coaching career, Davis has been part of coaching staffs that have led teams to at least a share of four league regular-season titles (1987, '94, '97, '98), the No. 1 seed in four league tournaments (1987, '94, '97, 2021), an appearance in the championship game of eight league tournaments (1987, '94, '95, '97, '98, 2008, '22, '25) and four NCAA Tournaments (1987, '94, '97, '98).
"This is an emotional goodbye for me," said Davis. "I love these players and this place. I met my wife Gail here 33 years ago, coached here for 22 years, recruited and coached so many great people and have made so many great friends. Our oldest son, Emmett, was born in Annapolis and is a 2021 graduate of the Naval Academy where he played football. There is nothing but Blue and Gold in my heart."
"I want to congratulate Emmett on his outstanding coaching career," said Ed DeChellis, who retired last week as Navy's head men's basketball coach. "He was an instrumental piece to our successful program. I wish Emmett and Gail all the best in their retirement years!"
"Coach Davis has always represented the values and spirit of the Naval Academy in a way that exudes class, honor and respect," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk, who announced his retirement yesterday. "He has been a benchmark for other coaches who look to a role model in every aspect of the profession. His tireless devotion to our midshipmen is reflected in the amazing relationships he has maintained with everyone who has ever played for him. Our immeasurable appreciation for a career of excellence."
Navy posted a 140-123 overall record and a 91-60 league regular season record during his second stint on The Yard.
Davis is credited with recruiting several accomplished Navy basketball players during his tenure as an assistant coach. This list includes All-Patriot League honorees Wes Cooper, TJ Hall, Larry Green, Mike Heary, Chris Williams, Sitapha Savane, Jason Jeanpierre, Cam Davis, Richard Njoku, Sean Yoder and Daniel Deaver. Two of these players finished in the top 10 in scoring at Navy: Mike Heary (sixth) and Chris Williams (ninth).
Davis attended St. Lawrence (Canton, N.Y.) where he played his first two seasons under future legendary Navy head coach Paul Evans. He spent his senior season (1980-81) as an assistant coach with the Saints before graduating with a degree in government. Davis joined the coaching staff after graduation and spent three seasons as a full-time assistant coach, during which time he also attained a master's in education (1984) from the school.
St. Lawrence won the Independent College Athletic Conference and went to the NCAA (DIII) Tournament in each of his two years as a player. The Saints posted a 20-6 record and made the NCAA Tournament during his final season as an assistant coach.
After two years working in the corporate world, Davis joined Navy as an assistant coach for the 1986-87 season under head coach Pete Herrmann. The Mids tallied a 26-6 record and won the Colonial Athletic Association during his first season, which also was the senior season for future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member David Robinson. Navy would reach the NCAA Tournament's first round that year.
Davis remained on the Navy staff when Don DeVoe became head coach in 1992-93. The Mids were entering their second season as a member of the Patriot League that year. The next year, 1993-94, Navy shared the regular-season title and won the league tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. That would be the first of five-straight winning league seasons for the Mids (48-16 record in all), a span that included at least a share of three more regular-season titles (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98) and three trips to the NCAA Tournament (1996-97, 1997-98). Those five years featured an overall record of 91-54 for the Mids.
Davis left Navy after the 1998 NCAA Tournament to become the head coach at Colgate. He would spend 13 years at the school, become the second-fastest coach in school history to reach 100 wins and set a Colgate record for the most career wins with 165.
The Raiders finished in the top half of the Patriot League in seven of his 13 seasons, which included a tie for second place in the 2002-03 campaign. Colgate reached the semifinal round of the league tournament four times and advanced to the championship game of the 2008 Patriot League Tournament under Davis. The Raiders tied a school record with 18 overall wins that season.
A number of Colgate players and assistant coaches under Davis have gone on to coaching careers of their own. This includes head coaches Jeremy Ballard (player, assistant) at Florida International, Jon Coffman (assistant) at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Nathan Davis (assistant) at New Hampshire, Kevin Curley (assistant) at McDaniel, Kelvin Jefferson (assistant) at Gannon and Mark Linebaugh (player) at Lycoming.
Additional former Davis assistants or players on staffs include Rod Balanis (assistant), associate head coach at Howard; Brian Regan (assistant), director of operations at Pitt; Pat Moore (player), assistant at Colgate, and J.P. Clark (assistant), assistant for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League.
Also, Howard Blue (player) is the head coach at Georgetown Prep and Dennis Csensits (assistant) is the head coach at Allentown Central Catholic.
Davis joined the staff of one of his former players at Navy, Doug Wojcik, at Tulsa for the 2011-12 season. The Golden Hurricanes posted a 10-6 record in Conference USA that season as part of an overall record of 17-14. Davis coached current NBA player Jordan Clarkson (Utah) during his season at Tulsa.
After leaving Tulsa, Davis and his family returned to Annapolis where he spent one season as a college basketball television analyst for the American Sports Network and Campus Insiders. He also worked for XOS Digital, a sports technology firm, as its Mid-Atlantic Regional Accounts Manager, and served as a volunteer coach for his sons at Broadneck High School and with their AAU club team, Maryland 3D.
Davis returned to Navy as an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. The Mids compiled a 19-14 record that season and finished Patriot League play with a 9-9 record to tie for fourth place. Navy improved upon its league win total the next season (2016-17) as it posted a 10-8 record and advanced to the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2001.
Navy took another step forward in the 2017-18 season as the Mids won 20 games (20-12) for the first time in 18 years and set a school record for wins during a Patriot League season with an 11-7 record. The Mids would tie for third place in the league that year, the best for the program since a third-place showing during the 2008-09 season.
Navy put together a 15-3 record during the 2020-21 season. Included among the wins was the program's first over Georgetown since the 1976-77 season. The Mids posted a 12-1 record against league foes to earn the No. 1 seed in the league tournament for the first time since 1997.
The Mids compiled a 21-11 record in 2021-22, which included a win at No. 25 Virginia. Navy then placed second in league play with a 12-6 mark and advanced to the title game of the league tournament for the first time in 21 seasons.
The 2022-23 season saw the Mids earn the No. 2 seed in the league tournament with a mark of 11-7 that was part of an overall 18-13 campaign.
In 2024-25, Navy finished tied for third in the Patriot League with a 10-8 record and made the Patriot League Championship for the second time in four years.
"I am so blessed to have been able to do a job that I loved and to have the satisfaction of influencing and impacting so many young men's lives," said Davis. "I would like to thank Coach DeChellis for bringing me back to Navy 10 years ago and for his leadership and friendship. I could have never done it without the unwavering support of my family. My wife, Gail, and our three sons, Emmett and his wife Taylor, Shane and Brendan. We look forward to watching the Navy program continue to prosper. This is a special group of players whose best basketball is in front of them."
