Steve Evans joined the athletics department in 2000 and was elevated to the position of Associate Director of Athletics after 15 years of serving as Head Men’s Basketball Coach.
As the executive director for the Dolphin Athletic Association (DAA) at Le Moyne, Evans is responsible for the creation and implementation of all athletics fundraising efforts for the 21 men’s and women’s sports programs, including capital projects. From 2015-2021 his leadership efforts helped overall giving to the DAA see a 65 percent increase, while the number of DAA members rose over 227 percent. He also provides administrative oversight for 'Inside the L' culture programing to support meaningful student-athlete success in and out of competition. In this role, he participated in Sport at the Service of Humanity, convened by Pope Francis at Georgetown University, and presented at the Annual Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) Deans’ Conference. He is also a member of the department's Senior Management team, has been a chair and assisted on hiring search committees for a variety of positions for the department, and worked as a representative on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional Advisory Committee and Northeast 10 Sport Administration Council. Evans has served on multiple committees throughout his Le Moyne career, most recently the Campus Climate Study Working Group and the Intercollegiate Athletic Discernment Committee. Through his leadership, Le Moyne Athletics has experienced broad-based athletic and academic achievement, and increased revenues from donations, DAA sponsored golf tournaments, and corporate partnerships.
From 2000-2015, Evans served as the seventh head men's basketball coach in Le Moyne College history and ranks second in Le Moyne College Men’s Basketball coaching victories behind Thomas J. Niland, Jr. The former assistant basketball coach at Northwestern University and Siena College guided Le Moyne to a 210-211 (.499) overall record and 151-176 conference record in his 15 seasons. Of the 48 players to complete their playing eligibility under Coach Evans recruitment, 46 graduated with a degree (96% Academic Success Rate).
In nine of his 15 years as head coach, Evans had a player named to one of the Northeast-10 Conference All-Conference teams, including seven of his last nine years. Five times, Evans has had a player garner First Team All-Conference accolades. Also, five players have been picked to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie Team. Additionally, Evans was the only coach in the conference during a five-year period to have had players selected as the Player of the Year (Laurence Ekperigin, 2008-09), Defensive Player of the Year (Jason Holmes, 2007-08) and Freshman of the Year (Trent Morgan, 2004-05).
Evans and the Dolphins gained national attention to open the 2009-10 season by defeating Syracuse University, 82-79, in an exhibition contest in the Carrier Dome on November 3. After starting the year 10-8, Evans led the Dolphins to wins in eight of their final nine regular season contests to finish fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference standings. At the end of the season, senior forward Laurence Ekperigin was named to the Daktronics, Basketball Times and NABC State Farm Coaches Division II All-America teams after earning spots on the Northeast-10 Conference First Team, Daktronics East Region First Team and NABC East District First Team. Ekperigin also played in the NABC/NCAA Division II All-Star Game as part of the Division II Elite Eight at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
As was the signature under Evans, the 2008-09 squad improved in the latter part of the season. The Dolphins won 13 of its final 15 games to reach the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game for the first time since 1997. Evans guided the Dolphins to a 20-11 record, posting the most victories in a single season since 1997-98. Ekperigin was selected as the Northeast-10 Conference and Daktronics East Region Player of the Year and to the Daktronics All-America First Team following the season.
Evans' charges showed improvement over the latter stages of the 2006-07 season as well. Le Moyne rallied with seven wins in its last 12 games. The Dolphins captured their sixth consecutive berth in the postseason conference tournament.
In 2004-05, Evans took a team with five new starters and molded them into one of the toughest teams in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Dolphins opened the season with six consecutive league losses and a 3-12 mark overall, then went on to win five straight games and eight of 12 league contests.
In 2003-04, Evans led Le Moyne to its second consecutive 17-win season and a bye in the Northeast-10 Conference tournament. The Dolphins (17-11, 14-8 Northeast-10) equaled a program record for NE-10 wins with 14. After starting 0-4, Le Moyne rebounded for 17 wins over the last 22 contests, including 11 consecutive home triumphs.
The spot among the top four teams in the league capped a phenomenal rebuilding project. By his third season, Evans directed the best winning-percentage increase over a three-year span in program history (.348). Le Moyne went from a 5-21 team in 2000-01 to a 17-12 mark in 2002-03. His first-year team included eight freshmen and no seniors on the roster. In his second season, Evans led another young team, which featured just one upperclassman, into the conference playoffs. The Dolphins went 11-16 overall and 7-15 in conference play. The trip to the NE-10 playoffs marked the first time for Le Moyne in three seasons.
Evans, a native of nearby Rome, N.Y., started his coaching career at Le Moyne, where he served as an assistant coach under Scott Hicks for two seasons from 1994-96. In his second season as an assistant with the Dolphins, Evans helped Le Moyne put together a 24-6 mark and earn a spot in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. The 24-win season is the top win total in school-history.
After the 1995-96 season, Evans moved onto the Division I ranks. He spent three seasons with perennial Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference power Siena College. At Siena, Evans worked under current New Orleans Pelicans Assistant Coach Bob Beyer and current Los Angeles Clippers scout Paul Hewitt. The Saints jumped from a nine-win season in his first season to a 17-win season in 1997-98 and a 25-win campaign in 1998-99 that included a trip to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The 25 wins were the most in Siena College men's basketball history.
Prior to his hiring as head coach at Le Moyne, Evans helped mold the nation's youngest Division I basketball team at Northwestern University of the Big Ten Conference. With the Wildcats, Evans worked under former NBA and 16-year Division I head coach Kevin O'Neill.
A 1994 graduate of Union College, Evans earned his bachelor's degree in American Studies. He later attended Le Moyne College and earned a Higher Education Leadership Certificate in 2016 and his Master’s Degree in Professional Education in 2018.
A former student-athlete, Evans started for four years with the Dutchmen. In his senior season, Evans served as team captain, set the school single-season assist record and ranked third in NCAA Division III for assists. As a point guard he was named the Union College Freshman Athlete of the Year in 1991.
During his previous stint on the Heights, Evans also ran a successful campaign for city council in Rome, N.Y. In 1995, he was elected as the youngest city council member in the history of the city.
An active clinician and speaker, Evans runs a series of highly successful day camps in the summer.
Evans and his wife, Kara, raise three children, Trey, Ella and Addison, and reside in Fayetteville, New York.
