Penn State basketball coach Ed DeChellis is leaving the university, his alma mater, for a coaching job at Navy.

“On behalf of the Penn State and State College communities, I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to Ed DeChellis and his staff for their efforts with the men’s basketball program the past eight years,” Penn State athletic director Tim Curley said in a statement.

DeChellis led the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA tournament appearance in a decade last season. Penn State lost to Temple in the second round of the tournament in March. He also guided Penn State to an NIT championship in 2009.

But he would have entered the 2011-12 season with just one returning starter after four, including career leading scorer Talor Battle, graduated.

“I’m thrilled and honored to be the next head basketball coach at the United States Naval Academy,” said DeChellis in a statement. “My wife and girls are excited to be a part of the Navy family and this is the perfect opportunity for me because I believe in the core values of the Academy.”

Curley said in the statement the university would immediately begin a nationwide search for its next basketball coach.

“It will be a comprehensive search focused on finding the best candidate to lead Penn State Basketball into the future,” he said.