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Source: <\/p>\nSource: <\/p>\n
Queens Head Coach Grant Leonard Talks Historic NCAA Bid, Purdue Matchup, and Team Spirit<\/p>\n
Queens head coach Grant Leonard recently joined\u00a0The Fan Morning Show in Indianapolis\u00a0to discuss his team\u2019s historic NCAA tournament appearance, their journey to Division I, and their upcoming matchup against Purdue.<\/p>\n
Leonard reflected on the significance of Queens\u2019 first year of tournament eligibility, calling it a proud moment for the program, players, and the Charlotte community. <\/p>\n
After transitioning from Division II, where they enjoyed multiple 30-win seasons, Leonard emphasized the importance of staying focused on daily improvement. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be here today without the toughness and fortitude of our guys,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The coach highlighted how the team\u2019s roster evolved once they became tournament eligible, adding key transfers like Devontae Parker (Georgia Southern) and Gus Larson (Cal Berkeley) to bolster their lineup. <\/p>\n
Leonard praised his players\u2019 resilience and credited their hard work for the program\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to their matchup with Purdue, Leonard acknowledged the Boilermakers\u2019 physicality and efficiency, calling them one of the top programs in college basketball. <\/p>\n
He also commended Purdue\u2019s point guard, Braden Smith, for his intelligence and ability to lead the team.<\/p>\n
Leonard shared insights about Queens\u2019 campus, nestled in Charlotte\u2019s picturesque Myers Park neighborhood, and introduced \u201cBuddy the Street Dog,\u201d a team mascot symbolizing grit and determination. <\/p>\n
Players earn Buddy for making game-changing plays, embodying the team\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n
Finally, Leonard expressed admiration for Purdue head coach Matt Painter, calling him a role model for building a program and leading with integrity. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an incredible example for all of us coaches,\u201d Leonard said.<\/p>\n
Take a listen to the interview below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Source: Queens Head Coach Grant Leonard Talks Historic NCAA Bid, Purdue Matchup, and Team Spirit Queens head coach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-168139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}