After Queens head basketball coach Grant Leonard accused an unnamed SEC coach of buying a courtside seat to “get ahead” of recruiting one of his players, rumors have swirled of who the coach was.

The Charlotte Observer reported on Wednesday that the coach in question was Auburn assistant Ian Borders.

The report claimed that Leonard wouldn’t name who the coach was in an interview with The Observer, but Borders being the coach in question was “independently confirmed through a source,” per the report.

An Auburn spokesperson told AL.com that an assistant coach attending another conference tournament is a “permissible activity.” Auburn did not identify Borders as the coach present at the ASUN tournament game, but did provide the following rules clarification to AL.com.

“A basketball staff member attending another conference’s basketball tournament would not be prohibited by 11.6 (Scouting of Opponents) since it is unlikely/impossible to be a future opponent at this time of the season.

“Staff (who are not permissible off-campus recruiters) may observe/evaluate only student‑athletes NOT in the transfer portal. Which means, if any participating student‑athlete has entered the transfer portal (and becomes a PSA), all recruiting legislation applies—including recruiting periods, counting evaluations, contact restrictions on the day of competition, and permissible recruiters.”

In separate tweet from his initial complaint, Leonard claimed that the game attended by the SEC coach was Queens’ ASUN tournament quarterfinal matchup with West Georgia on March 6. Leonard also did not name the player who was allegedly being watched.

“In our coaching fraternity, it’s almost like the bar association,” Leonard told The Observer. “We have to police ourselves. And this is a road I don’t think we as coaches want to go down.”

Leonard told The Observer that he’s not against players utilizing the transfer portal and supports his players “getting life-changing money,” but believes this situation is an example of a team trying to “coax” a player into entering the portal.

Queens and Auburn faced each other earlier in the regular season, a game Auburn won 106-65 on Dec. 29. The only way they could play each other again is if they met in the NCAA tournament, which Queens qualified for by winning the ASUN tournament.

Borders is in his first season as an assistant coach at Auburn after spending the prior seven seasons as the program’s Director of Scouting and Recruiting.