On June 9, 2021, Howard University men’s basketball program welcomed Steve Ongley to the Bison Family. Ongley came to HU after serving the past two seasons at Dartmouth.
During the 2024-25 campaign, Howard posted a 12-20 mark (7-7 MEAC) and saw five Bison earn MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) postseason honors, including Blake Harper winning MEAC Player & Rookie of the Year.
In the 2023-24 season, Howard went 18-17 overall (9-5 MEAC) and won the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Tournament and earned its second consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament. Three Bison took home MEAC postseason honors, led by BOXTOROW HBCU All-American Bryce Harris.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Howard posted a 22-13 mark (11-3 MEAC), won the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Regular Season Title and Tournament Title and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Along the way, four Bison received MEAC postseason honors, including Shy Odom winning MEAC Rookie of the Year.
In his first season, Howard went 16-13 (9-5 MEAC) while seeing four Bison earn MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) postseason honors, including standout guard Elijah Hawkins winning MEAC Rookie of the Year.
At Dartmouth, Ongley was instrumental in the development of forward Chris Knight, who earn All-Ivy Second Team after averaging 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds during his junior campaign.
Before Dartmouth, Ongley and Blakeney were members of the 2018-19 Columbia Lions coaching staff under Jim Engles. In his one year there, Ongley coached the forwards and centers and played a role in the progress of Patrick Tapé, whose scoring average increased from 4.4 to 11.3 points per game while ranking third in the conference in field goal percentage (.667).
Ongley arrived at Columbia after a four-year stint as an assistant at his alma mater, Colby College in Waterville, Maine. His duties included recruiting coordinator, scheduling coordinator, team travel coordinator, player development for practices, film breakdown, scouting reports and statistical analysis.
Between his stints at Colby and Columbia, Ongley served as the video coordinator at Boston University and coached at Daniel Hand H.S. in Madison, Conn. (2007-14).
“I'm beyond excited to reunite with Coach Blakeney at Howard,” Ongley stated. “The rich tradition of the University speaks for itself. I look forward to helping Coach Blakeney, the staff, and the student-athletes in continuing to build a strong program.”
Ongley graduated from Southern Connecticut State with a history degree and currently pursuing masters of education from Thomas College in Waterville, Maine.
