Kenyon College Athletics

After serving as an assistant coach at Williams College for a handful of years, Steve Phillips was named head coach of the Owls men's basketball program in the spring of 2023. Phillips, who also had coaching experiences at Washington & Lee University and Mount Saint Mary College, became Kenyon's eighth head coach since the College joined the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in the 1984-85 season. 

In the 2023-24 season, his first in Gambier, Phillips guided the Owls to a 5-21 record, including a 3-13 mark in NCAC play. The three wins in conference competition were the most in four seasons. Phillips had one player gain all-conference recognition and had four named to the 2023-24 CSC Academic All-District Team.  

Phillips, who worked alongside head coach Kevin App at Williams, departed the program after  a 23-5 season in which the Ephs made an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament and won their first-round game. In 2021-22, the team went to the NCAA Tournament's third round and in 2018-19, his first season at Williams, the Ephs were 23-7 and made a run into the NCAA quarterfinal round. In all, the Ephs posted a combined 78-29 (.729) record in Phillips' four seasons of work within the highly-competitive New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).

During that same span, Phillips helped coach and develop five All-NESCAC players and one All-American.

A native of New Hyde Park, N.Y., Phillips graduated from Mount Saint Mary in 2014 with bachelor's degree in history and education/special education. He then went on to earn a master's degree in education, school building leadership, from St. John's University in 2018.

During his playing days at Mount Saint Mary, he went from a walk-on, to a starting point guard, to senior captain that led the winningest class in school history (82-32) to the Skyline Conference Championship game his senior year.

Following graduation, he remained at Mount Saint Mary to commence his coaching career. Two years later, Phillips was hired as an assistant at Washington and Lee, where he coached five All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honorees and helped steer the Generals to their best conference finish in 40 years.