Though her coaching resume is already decorated with accolades, Haydee Ong’s lasting legacy lies in the remarkable transformation she spearheaded — turning the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses’ program from perennial cellar-dwellers into the powerhouse contender it is today in the UAAP.
Taking over the program in Season 79 (2016), Ong’s dedication to elevating women’s basketball by revamping the Growling Tigresses has borne fruit — leading UST to three bronze-medal finishes, two silver medals, and, most notably, ending a 17-year title drought in Season 86, which also snapped the seven-season reign of rival National University.
Her impact goes beyond the senior team. Ong’s commitment to building UST’s women’s basketball program is rooted in her vision to strengthen the Junior Growling Tigresses. Under her guidance, the juniors finished as co-champions in Season 82 before completing a season sweep to claim the Season 87 crown last year.
However, Ong’s promise to rebuild her alma mater would not have been possible without her seven-year tenure as Ateneo de Manila University’s women’s basketball head coach.
After leaving Ateneo in 2015, Ong made an emotional return to a court she once called home — the Blue Eagle Gym — leading the Growling Tigresses to a 75-66 victory over the Blue Eagles on Saturday evening.
“Maraming memories dito sa Ateneo kasi I’ve been with Ateneo for seven years,” the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League commissioner told Tiebreaker Times.
“Lahat naman ng napuntahan natin na school ay may mga kaibigan tayo na very happy para ma-reunite sa mga tao dito sa Ateneo.”
Pressure weighed heavily on Ong’s shoulders as the 55-year-old tactician inherited a perennial contender squad from John Flores — the last head coach to guide Ateneo women’s basketball to championships in Season 68 (2005) and Season 70 (2007).
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Though her Blue Eagles often found themselves chasing the surging programs of FEU, Adamson, La Salle, and NU — finishing her seven-year Ateneo stint with a 34-64 record — Ong looks back on that chapter with fondness, cherishing not the numbers but the lessons learned and the bonds forged along the way.
“Syempre, trabaho lang talaga. Kahit anong suot mo na uniporme, doon naman tayo makikipaglaban. Nung panahon naman dito sa Ateneo, talagang One Big Fight talaga rin kami,” Ong shared.
“Nung panahon naman dito sa Ateneo, talagang One Big Fight talaga rin kami.
“It’s very nice lang talaga to come back here sa Ateneo — you’ll reminisce yung mga memories and good old memories dito sa Ateneo,” she added.
Though her chapter with Ateneo has long closed, Ong vowed to carry the wisdom from that tenure into her current mission — shaping both the present and future of UST’s women’s and girls’ basketball programs, armed with the lessons that once defined her journey with the Blue Eagles.
“Parati talaga yung sisterhood, yung relationship as a family ay very important para sa akin — isang bagay na na-hone ko nung time ko rito sa Ateneo. At the same time, yung pagiging student-athlete rin na very important i-balance yung academics and at the same time, yung basketball,” she said.
“Yan din yung tinuturo natin sa UST at kung saan ‘man tayo mapunta.”
