Round 1 of the Army-Navy basketball rivalry is slated for Sunday with a doubleheader at Cristl Arena on the West Point campus. The Black Knights and Midshipmen women’s game tips off at 1 p.m. with the men’s game following at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The women’s matchup features teams at the top of the Patriot League standings with Navy (14-4, 6-1) in a three-way tie for first place and Army (13-4, 5-2) in sole possession of fourth place.
“Army-Navy is always huge, but I certainly think this game will take on a lot more magnitude because both teams are doing really well,” Navy coach Tim Taylor said.
Meanwhile, the men’s game features teams on opposite ends of the standings. Army (11-8, 5-2) is in a tie for second place in the Patriot League, while Navy (6-14, 3-4) is part of a four-way tie for fifth.
“It will be the best atmosphere we’ll play in all season. I guarantee that,” Navy coach Ed DeChellis said. “Our players need to be able to embrace that atmosphere.”
Navy men’s basketball during the DeChellis era has always emphasized defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball. Those staples will be critical if the Mids are to knock off the Black Knights on their home floor.
Army is averaging 76.1 points per game and has four of five starters scoring in double figures. Senior combination guard Jalen Rucker is the straw that stirs the drink, leading the team with 19.1 points per game. The Gilman was a first team All-Patriot League pick in 2023 and has returned to West Point after not attending the academy during the 2023-24 school year.
“Jalen is an older, savvy guy that knows how to score. He’s a dynamic player and nobody has really stopped him,” DeChellis said. “You need to make it hard for him to catch the ball, body him up when he gets the ball and make him score overtop of you. We’ll throw different people at [Rucker] but he’s a tough matchup.”
Another challenge will be Army sophomore forward Josh Scovens, a versatile player who is equally difficult to defend. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound North Carolina native, who was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, is averaging 16.4 points.
“Josh can score around the basket, has a good mid-range game and can make threes,” DeChellis said. “If you play him with a guard he gets to the rim or shoots over them. If you play him with a bigger guy he drives past them.”
Army opened Patriot League play with losses to Colgate and Boston, scoring 59 and 63 points in those two games. The Black Knights have since won five straight, averaging almost 73 points along the way.
“Army has three guys that can really score in Rucker, Scovens and [Ryan] Curry and they’ve done a good job of getting those three guys shots and spreading the wealth among them,” DeChellis said. “If this game gets into the mid to high 70s, I don’t know if that’s in our favor.”
Navy is led offensively by junior point guard Austin Benigni, who is averaging 17.5 points and also tops the team with 86 assists. Benigni is at his best when driving to the basket and his ability to penetrate the defense creates open shots for others.
“Austin will play well because the bigger the game, the better he is. We’re not going to put this game all on Austin Benigni’s shoulders. It’s going to take everybody,” DeChellis said.
It would be a big boost if the Midshipmen got inside scoring from center Aidan Kehoe, the only other starter averaging in double figures (10.6 points). The 6-foot-10, 246-pound junior averaged almost 17 points through four games to begin league play, but has totaled just 21 points in the last three conference contests.
“As I said to Aidan, now you’re on the scouting report. You are now a high priority guy and you’re going to get played in that manner,” DeChellis said. “Aidan needs to be up to that challenge and we need to do a better job of getting him the ball in position to score.”
Three other Midshipmen, forward Donovan Draper along with guards Jordan Pennick and Jinwoo Kim, are all averaging around eight points per game. DeChellis would like to see one of those starters or a bench player help share the scoring load.
“Somebody always steps up and makes a big basket in this game. There have been a lot of guys that have poked their heads up and make a difference in this game,” he said.
DeChellis, who owns a 14-13 career record against the archrival, does not claim to have Army-Navy all figured out, but has learned a few things during his 14-year tenure.
“Preparation is important and you need to trust the process. This game is no different than any other in terms of Navy basketball needing to do certain things to win,” he said. “What I’ll emphasize in practice over the next 48 hours is that we need to do what we do and do it well. We’re not going to change a whole lot for this game. We just need to play with poise and play with focus. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes will win the game.”
Women’s preview
Taylor, in his fifth season at Navy, owns a 1-6 record against Army and has yet to win the Star game. Of course, he spent the previous four seasons rebuilding the program from the ground up and now has a squad with the talent and depth to compete with any team in the Patriot League.
“Last season, I thought Army out-toughed us. We’ve been working on being tougher and more physical. We’ll see if we’ve matured since last season?” Taylor said. “Quite frankly, we need to have our players prepared better for this game and we need to get off to a better start.”
Army features a dynamic offensive player in senior guard Trinity Hardy, who leads the team in scoring (13.8 points), assists (52) and steals (42). The returning second team All-Patriot League pick is one of the fastest players in the league going end to end and is a versatile scorer. Navy will rotate multiple defenders on Hardy in hopes of wearing her down.
“Trinity can take over a game on both ends of the court and is definitely a factor we have to deal with. We have to keep her out of the paint and from getting easy baskets,” Taylor said. “We have to beware of where she is on the defensive end because she can get in passing lanes and create a lot of problems.”
Sophomore wing Fiona Hastick is another matchup problem and is second on the squad with just shy of 10 points per game. Taylor described the Patriot League All-Rookie team selection as a “three-level scorer,” meaning she can shoot the three, hit mid-range jumpers or get to the rim.
“Fiona is athletic and can either face the basket or post up. We have to control her ability to go off because she can score 20 points in any game,” Taylor said.
Navy boasts arguably the most dangerous scorer in the Patriot League in sophomore guard Zanai Barnett-Gay, who is averaging almost 20 points. The Riverdale Baptist product also leads the Mids in rebounding (8.1), assists (61) and steals (42). Army will give Barnett-Gay the same type of attention that Navy affords Hardy.
Taylor is confident Barnett-Gay will provide her typical scoring production, but knows Navy now has other weapons. Fellow sophomore guard Kyah Smith has scored in double figures in eight games with a career-high of 26 against Radford. A pair of plebes, Mary Gibbons and Julianna Almeida, have consistently reached double digits.
“I think Kyah is one of the most talented offensive players in the league. When she’s attacking and hitting shots and in that aggressive mentality it’s hard for anyone in this league to guard her. She could be a big-time X factor in this game,” Taylor said.
Taylor listed the keys to the game as limiting Army’s penetration, rebounding the ball, using ball and player movement to get open shots and not giving up 3-pointers.
“I think the biggest part of this game is players trying to do too much instead of just being who they are. You want to let the game come to you,” he said. “Be who you are — that’s the message I’ve been trying to deliver.”
Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.
MEN’S-WOMEN’S DOUBLEHEADER
Navy at Army
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network
RADIO: 1430 AM