Hovermale named head coach of Onsted girls basketball

ONSTED — Former Siena Heights University basketball player Jon Hovermale is taking over the Onsted girls basketball program, which has been one of the county’s most successful programs over the past 10 years.

Hovermale started giving basketball instructions while still a player, coached with the Saints as a graduate assistant, formed his own AAU program and now is a varsity head coach. He was named the head girls varsity coach at Onsted this week.

“I’m very excited,” Hovermale said. “I am grateful for the opportunity.”

Hovermale played high school basketball at Livonia Churchill and played at SHU for head coach Joe Pechota. The 25-year-old was an assistant last year at Onsted under Brandon Arnold, who stepped down after the season.

Hovermale works in the district and is in the process of getting certification to possibly become a health and education teacher.

“Talking to him for hours, I can tell that he is very organized and very knowledgeable about the game,” said Onsted athletic director Damien Hiram. “He has been working in the high school this past year and has created some great relationships, not only with the team, but with the students and staff at Onsted as well.

“The girls are really excited to have them as their coach and the athletic department is excited to see where this program goes from here, with Jon leading it.”

Onsted went 4-18 last season but won 101 games over the previous eight seasons, averaging 15 wins a year from 2016 to 2022.

Hovermale created and runs the Michigan Cobra AAU organization. He started the team when he saw a need in the community.

“I didn’t feel like there was a lot of organized basketball, other than at the high school level,” he said. “I didn’t see an AAU program and felt that was a void I could fill. I have a passion for basketball and growing the game from the young kids on up.”

After being a grad assistant at SHU, he wanted to move in a different direction with coaching.

“I knew I didn’t want to coach college anymore,” he said. “I wanted to continue coaching youth basketball and get into high school more. I started coaching with Brandon and had a good time with it

“He let me be very hands on. It was great for me to get that new perspective,” he said. “I had some experience coaching girls at the middle school level, but not high school. It was good for me to get that experience.”

Hovermale comes from a coaching family. His dad, Greg, is a veteran middle school and freshman basketball coach Churchill. His brother, Steve, is a basketball coach in Plymouth, Indiana.

“They are two people I rely on,” he said. “Me and my brother bounce things off each other all the time. We are both very passionate about the game and I think it shows in how we do things.”

Hovermale said one thing is for certain – he isn’t afraid to fail.

“I’m still trying to learn,” he said. “I don’t know it all. I just want to keep learning. That’s the kind of person I am. If I give everything I have to something, and it still doesn’t work, at least I can hang my hat on that. I’m just going to go all in and do it.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Hovermale named head coach of Onsted girls basketball