The coach accused an SEC suitor of blatant tampering. He then provided a crumb trail to lead followers to the guilty party.

We had an SEC assistant buy a courtside seat for one of our conference tournament games to “get ahead” of recruiting on of my kids.

Thoughts @GoodmanHoops @jeffborzello @TheFieldOf68 https://t.co/EW6kJoz4UA

— Grant Leonard (@QUCoachGrant) March 11, 2026

Leonard says an SEC assistant purchased tickets to an A-SUN Conference Tournament game between Queens and West Georgia. The coach sat courtside in an attempt to gain an early recruiting advantage.

His accusation came in response to South Florida coach Bryan Hodgson’s threat to tampering rivals. Leonard did not go into specifics as to whether the assistant made contact with a player, or if he was simply scouting. He did not name the school or coach publicly.

He did, however, leave a hint to help uncover the identity of the accused.

Queens basketball has talent.

The program is in just its fourth year at the D1 level. It is already making an appearance on the sport’s largest stage.

The Royals went 21-13 in the 2025-26 season. They ran through the conference tournament as a No. 3 seed with a spotless 3-0 performance.

Now, they gear up for the Big Dance. But while Grant Leonard preps his team for what lies ahead, he’s also doing his best to limit potential distractions.

One comes in the form of possible illegal recruitment.

Queens has six different players that have averaged double figure scoring totals. Many of the team’s stars could be transfer targets for larger programs.

Yoav Berman is a talented international player that could have an opportunity to leave in the offseason. Jordan Watford and Avantae Parker were both Top 5 recruits in the state of South Carolina. Watford once had an offer from Mississippi State.

The majority of the Queens roster hails from SEC Country, inside the boundaries of Virginia, Florida, and Texas. There’s no surprise that those schools might be interested in evaluating the lineup.

Grant Leonard named names, sort of.

While he did not *technically* publicly out the alleged cheater, he did provide an avenue of identifying the assistant coach in attendance.

Go watch the film, our conference tournament game vs UWG, he’s courtside, plain as day to see

— Grant Leonard (@QUCoachGrant) March 11, 2026

The game video can still be viewed on ESPN+. Some have already gone back to watch the replay footage. One believes he knows who Leonard was referring to.

Ian Borders. Auburn.

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) March 11, 2026

Mike Rutherford is a Louisville area radio host and the manager of CardChronicle.com. His claim was specific.

Leonard’s breadcrumb trail worked. His clues led followers to the answer. He has accused an SEC school of tampering. It will be interesting to see if there are any repercussions.