In an age of constant change across college basketball — where transfers, NIL deals, and new opportunities keep rosters churning — Howard University‘s top players have been old reliables.
Bison basketball players Bryce Harris and Ose Okojie have become rare examples of continuity and commitment. Together, they stand as pillars of a program that has now danced its way into the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.
For Harris, staying at Howard has always been about something deeper than basketball.
“Howard embraced me first,” Harris, the MEAC Player of the Year, said about the school where he’s spent his entire collegiate career. “Not just as a player but as a student. The culture, the academics, the social justice, the community involvement — all of that makes it special to put that jersey on.”
Representing Howard is bigger than basketball
He described the university’s atmosphere as one of “healthy pressure,” shaped by peers who push each other to achieve at a high level both in the classroom and beyond. “Continuing to push the standard makes you a better person,” Harris added. “That’s in the DNA of Howard students — and now it’s in mine.”
For Okojie, the journey has been equally transformative. A native of Brampton, Ontario, in Canada, the senior forward reflected on his four-year experience with emotion and gratitude.
“It’s surreal,” Okojie said. “Howard changed me in more ways than one. It’s made me a better man. It’s really like our Coach calls it — the Dream Factory — because dreams can come true here.”
He recalled one defining moment from his freshman season: following a loss to Kansas in the NCAA tournament, the team was greeted by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard alumna. “I had tears in my eyes, and then she walked in and told us she was proud of us,” Okojie said. “That’s something I’ll never forget.”
The forward also reflected on the broader legacy of Howard’s impact — from figures like the late Chadwick Boseman to the generations of students who’ve carried its influence far beyond the confines of Washington, D.C.
“Bryce always talks about basketball immortality,” Okojie said with a smile. “We joke that his jersey will be in the rafters one day — but maybe that’s not a joke anymore.”
Bison cultivated a consistent identity
Head coach Kenny Blakeney, who has led Howard through each of these recent tournament runs, said the team’s success has evolved each year but always been anchored by the leadership of players like Harris and Okojie.
As a collegiate player on national championship-caliber teams at Duke, programs were defined by veteran rosters come March.
It’s something that has been the strength of Howard in a time when that’s a rarity.
“Our first (NCAA Tournament) trip, we were deep — we could run 12, 13 guys,” Blakeney said. “The second, we were six deep and had a walk-on hit one of the biggest shots in school history. This year, we had to find our rhythm after injuries, but the one constant is leadership. When we become really good, it’s because the players take ownership.”
In that sense, the story of Howard basketball’s consistency is more than a tale of talent — it’s one of endurance and identity.
