This article was republished from The Charlotte Ledger.
Grant Leonard abandoned his breakfast sandwich two bites in, the fork still stuck in a side of potatoes, courtside at Queens University of Charlotte’s Levine Center.
It was 10:15 a.m. last Friday morning, a week before his basketball team would play in its first NCAA Tournament, and a late breakfast just got later.
Another in a litany of interviews ran up to the start of practice for the 45-year-old coach who’s been shoe-horning media appearances, a recruiting trip to Florida, and a few hours of sleep at most into his daily schedule.
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Grant Leonard holds the net at the Atlantic Sun Conference championships. (Courtesy of Queens University of Charlotte)
Leonard, the Royals’ coach since 2022, has been running on fumes lately, as the pace of the team’s season has picked up. This Friday, he’ll lead the team against Purdue University as big underdogs, with the chance to become the latest Cinderella story in a field of 68 that pairs powerhouses with less-heralded opponents.
At the center of Queens’ story is Leonard, a colorful character who at times waited tables as he bounced through small-school coaching jobs before landing at Queens 13 years ago. He turned a hodgepodge of players into a team, while adding elements of fun—like a habit of wearing holiday sweaters and introducing Buddy the Street Dog, a stuffed German Shepherd, as his team’s “spirit animal.”
“We have a bunch of unique stories,” Leonard said. “But really, what it’s going to do is change Queens’ trajectory.”
Possibly his, too.
Basketball Fan with Midwestern Roots
Growing up in Wisconsin, Leonard’s parents sprung him and his brother from school to see NCAA Tournament games in Chicago and Milwaukee. He watched Penny Hardaway play for what was then known as Memphis State University. He saw Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill, a favorite for a 10-year-old bearing the same first name, play for Duke University.
“Now to be a part of it, it’s a dream come true,” Leonard said.
Leonard started coaching high school in his hometown, Milwaukee, before Division III and II college stops in Maryland, Texas, Florida, and Georgia—a trajectory he calls “falling upward.”
His career choice didn’t make sense to his father.
“He always thought I should go make a bunch of money in some business field or sales,” Leonard said. “That’s not where my passion was.”
When his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Leonard moved him to Charlotte to help take care of him. Instead of seeing each other two or three times a year, his father saw him in action nearly every day.
“He traveled with the team, he got to know our players,” Leonard said. “Then he said, ‘Now I realize why you do this.’”
From his father, an engineer who designed HVAC systems at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and Soldier Field, Leonard learned commitment.
“The foundation of who I am, the consistency of how I work is all him,” Leonard said.
Earning a Reputation
When previous Queens coach Bart Lundy left for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in early 2022, Leonard got the job. Six months later, his father died. The following month, Leonard was arrested for driving while impaired.
He was suspended for the first five games of his first season as head coach.
“I probably didn’t deal with his passing enough right away,” Leonard said. “Queens was very supportive when I made the mistake. Those charges ended up dismissed and expunged, but it doesn’t excuse the black eye I gave the school. Queens was supportive in getting me the counseling I needed, not just for the DUI, but for my dad, and stuck with me. I’m appreciative of that.”
Court records show he pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving and completed community service, a substance abuse assessment, and probation.
Leonard came to Queens with a reputation for recruiting. Over time, he gained Lundy’s trust with X’s and O’s. In 2019, Leonard got his first taste of head coaching at TBT, a summer tournament for former NBA and college players with a $2 million purse. He coached a team of Division II players against former University of Kentucky players. The game was in Lexington and televised on ESPN.
“I was throwing up in the bathroom,” he said.
Despite pre-game jitters, his team won 77-62.
In his four seasons at the helm at Queens, Leonard has shown no fear in scheduling tough opponents as well as in his wardrobe, his outspokenness, and his mindset.
Queens coach Grant Leonard calls out to his team during a game against the University of Arkansas in December. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Leonard used to wear the occasional ugly Christmas sweater as an assistant coach. When Queens students started to take notice, he decided to wear them all season. He wore “Leftovers are for Quitters” at the University of Virginia the day after Thanksgiving, “Gangsta Wrapper“ in Arkansas in mid-December, and Ted Lasso’s “Believe” to a press conference last week. He promises a St. Patrick’s Day look for the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m Irish,” he said.
Leonard speaks his mind, too. He went viral for a post on X last week, calling out an SEC assistant coach for purchasing courtside seats at the ASUN tournament and verbally engaging one of his players during pre-game warmups.
Attack, Attack, Attack
Last week, before Queens’ opponent was announced, Leonard said he had no fear of playing the best. He told a podcaster he’d like to face Duke, the No. 1 team in the country.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Leonard said. “Failure usually brings out your best success. Last year, losing in the conference tournament in the semifinals in overtime and blowing a lead, I think, helped us win that game this year.”
This year, Queens blew an 11-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation against the University of Central Arkansas in the ASUN final. His message to his team in the huddle? “Attack, attack, attack,” Leonard said. Queens scored the first seven points of overtime and rolled to the 98-93 win.
Queens’ roster consists of players from Israel to Hawaii, Houston to Idaho, young men he convinced to buy into a former women’s college, new to Division I, with small classes where absences are noticed and community service is part of the package, whether it’s mentoring kids or running summer camps.
Grant Leonard leads practice. (Carroll Walton for The Charlotte Ledger)
In practice, his influence is palpable. Players encourage as much as the coaches. Whenever somebody went down hard, teammates rushed to pick him up.
“That’s our culture,” said Maban Jabriel, a sophomore from Waterloo, Ontario.
Leonard rewards them with Buddy for playing like “street dogs.” Guard Chris Ashby is as likely to earn praise for 10 3-pointers in the ASUN championship as for a screen he set that occupied two defenders. Leonard’s assistants keep a “for each other” chart of such plays.
“It’s all love,” Jabriel said. “It’s been that way since Day 1, towards all the players. He’s a great guy. It’s always in his heart to better us.”
For just a moment, early in Friday’s practice, Leonard spoke up over everybody to make a point: “Don’t stop! Go get the ball no matter what!”
It was also a nice metaphor for Leonard, too, and all he’s doing this week. Success in the NCAA Tournament might have powerful college programs taking notice.
“I’ve never been a part of a search like that, so I don’t even know how to handle it,” Leonard said. “But I don’t worry about it. I’ve always looked at Queens as I want to build something sustainable here. … If something life-changing happens, just like I will for the players, we’ll look at it. But I’m not even worried about that now. I’m worried about right here.”