Even though Navy basketball won only 15 games in the 2024-25 season, they return almost the entire rotation from last year, including leading scorer Austin Benigni.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Navy basketball.
We’re taking a bit of a wild prediction by saying Navy basketball, which went 15-19 last season, will be a top 100 team in college basketball next season. But new head coach Jon Perry returns the team’s entire starting five from last season, plus a handful of other important rotation players.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will translate to 10 more wins, but playing in the Patriot League does give the Midshipmen an outlook to be the team to beat. They went 10-8 in conference last year and won seven of their last nine games, up until a loss to American in the Patriot League Tournament Finals.
The most crucial aspect for Navy is how they will match up against practically anyone, because they will be outsized. 6-foot-4 forward Donovan Draper will most likely be their POWER forward, so frontcourt players will need to play extra physical and also stay out of foul trouble. That’s a tall task, but with a slew of guards, it somewhat takes the pressure off them on the offensive side of the floor.
Plus, we haven’t even gotten to talk about star guard Austin Benigni, so keep reading for the exposé on him.
Head coach: Jon Perry (1st season at Navy, 1st season overall)
2024-25 record: 15-19 (10-8)
2025 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Lysander Rehnstrom (4.4 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.3 APG, 36.1 3P%)
- Jack Medale (4.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Yale (Nov. 7 – 8:30 p.m.)
Projected Rotation
PG: Austin Benigni (5-10, 171, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.3 RPG
SG: Jordan Pennick (5-11, 195, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 10.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 34.6 3P%
SF: Jinwoo Kim (6-1, 195, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 6.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 40.7 3P%
PF: Donovan Draper (6-4, 207, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 8.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 SPG
C: Aidan Kehoe (6-10, 246, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 9.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.1 BPG, 62.1 FG%
6: Mike Woods (6-3, 211, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 4.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.1 SPG
7: Sam Krist (6-4, 190, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 3.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.2 APG
8: Cam Cole (6-1, 173, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 2.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.5 APG, 34.8 FG%
Navy Basketball team MVP: Austin Benigni
Offensively, Navy basketball is arguably a one-man show. Benigni was one of two players on last year’s team to average at least 10 points per game, and he cleared that mark by putting up 18.8 PPG.
He might be undersized at just 5-10, but Benigni makes big plays and gets buckets from anywhere on the court.
He’s not particularly efficient, but he will still make you pay for going under on screens at the three-point line, has a pull-up mid-range game, and invites contact at the rim.
Sure, his height can get in the way at times, but Benigni will pretty much always find a way to score points, giving Navy basketball arguably the most lethal offensive player in the Patriot League.
Against Harvard last season, Benigni dropped 34 points, including a perfect 17-for-17 at the charity stripe. Against Bucknell in the conference tournament, he went 20-for-22 at the line. While Benigni will fire from three and score at the rim or inside the arc, his ability to find his way to the free-throw line is what sets him apart.
Navy Basketball make-or-break player: Mike Woods
The starting lineup for Navy basketball is pretty much set, and unless head coach Perry decides to switch up the philosophy drastically, we already know what to expect. But what about a bench that did lose a couple of assets?
Woods, who figures to be the team’s 6th man, is going to have to step up in a few ways off the bench. For one, he’ll be asked to score the ball in spurts. Most of the starters will play big minutes, but Woods, at 6-3, 211 pounds, can pretty much fill in one through three, and maybe even at the four for a few minutes. That means he’ll have to be good at adjusting to different spots on the floor when asked to, and make sure there aren’t many dry scoring spells.
But he’ll also have to chip in on the boards, where Woods did so decently in a backup role last year. It’ll just be more critical if the Midshipmen are to take a big step forward next season.
Key analytic: FG%
While chemistry is a good thing, Navy basketball will still need to improve in their bad areas to really make a difference in their win total this year. And the most pressing need is becoming better shot makers.
Don’t get me wrong – Benigni can score, Pennick is a good sidekick in the backcourt, and Draper and Kehoe can chip in. But the way they got their points wasn’t a great sight to see. Navy shot just 42.3% from the field last season, which ranked 312th in the nation.
Of course, being undersized doesn’t help, but there should be ways to create a more fluid offense for easier shots. Even raising that percentage to around 45% as a team could make all the difference. We know rebounding won’t come easy – so making sure to make more of their first attempts in their halfcourt sets can help Navy go from a solid Patriot League team to a mid-major force in 2025-26.
Navy Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 1st in the Patriot League
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit