As Cool as the Other Side of the Pillow\u201d \u2014 Joe Badgett and the Rise of Queens Grant<\/p>\n
Former ESPN anchor Stuart Scott had one of the most famous catchphrases in sports:\u00a0\u201cAs cool as the other side of the pillow.\u201d\u00a0The phrase was used to describe someone exceptionally smooth, stylish, and impressive \u2014 a blend of hip-hop culture and sports that became synonymous with Scott\u2019s charismatic personality before his death in 2015.<\/p>\n
If I didn\u2019t know any better, I would have thought Scott was talking about Queens Grant head coach\u00a0Joe Badgett.<\/p>\n
For high school basketball fans around Charlotte, Coach Badgett has long been regarded as one of the premier coaches in the area \u2014 but in our opinion, that reputation should extend far beyond state lines.<\/p>\n
Still Mr. GQ<\/p>\n
From his \u201cMr. GQ\u201d days at Carmel Christian, Coach Badgett has evolved into a more relaxed style. While more casual, it remains unmistakably stylish \u2014 and his on-court demeanor is nothing short of remarkable. He\u2019s simply the new GQ of the\u00a0casual look.<\/p>\n
More importantly, he is a true gentleman on and off the court. In an era where sideline antics often steal headlines, Coach Badgett has gone his entire head-coaching career without receiving a single technical foul \u2014 unheard of in today\u2019s climate, and refreshingly so.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean he lacks presence.<\/p>\n
His ability to communicate displeasure with a call is second to none. He gets his point across clearly, calmly, and effectively. His famous \u201cstare down\u201d can pierce straight through heart and soul \u2014 and officials usually get the message.<\/p>\n
Even more telling: his teams are disciplined, fundamentally sound, and exceptionally well-coached. He holds players accountable. If you don\u2019t defend, you get familiar with the bench.<\/p>\n
A Championship Pedigree<\/p>\n
Coach Badgett\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 speaks for itself.<\/p>\n
As an assistant coach:<\/p>\n
4 State Championships<\/p>\n
4 State Runner-Up finishes<\/p>\n
As a head coach:<\/p>\n
2 State Championships<\/p>\n
2 State Runner-Up finishes<\/p>\n
In addition, Coach Badgett owns an outstanding\u00a0218\u201338 career record as a head coach, an\u00a085% winning percentage\u00a0\u2014 a number that is virtually unheard of, especially while consistently playing one of the most competitive schedules in the region.<\/p>\n
The Transition<\/p>\n
After a highly successful run at Carmel Christian, Coach Badgett took over at Queens Grant \u2014 a small public charter school in Matthews, North Carolina \u2014 beginning in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n
In the program\u2019s 2024\u201325 return season, Queens Grant finished an impressive\u00a027\u20138, falling only to eventual state champion Corvian in the NCHSAA 1A Western Regional Finals.<\/p>\n
That team featured an incredibly young core:<\/p>\n
6\u20198 Chase Smith\u00a0\u2014 12.9 PPG<\/p>\n
Bobby Montgomery III\u00a0\u2014 11.6 PPG<\/p>\n
Mekhi Allen\u00a0\u2014 10.0 PPG<\/p>\n
Three of his top four players were freshmen.<\/p>\n
As of this writing, Queens Grant is\u00a017\u20133, ranked\u00a0No. 1 in NCHSAA 2A\u00a0and\u00a0No. 5 overall in the MaxPreps state rankings, regardless of classification. They are currently riding a 13-game winning streak and recently upset perennial power West Charlotte at the Mike Gminski Classic over the Christmas holidays.<\/p>\n
2025\u201326 Roster<\/p>\n
A look at the current roster confirms one thing: Queens Grant is one of the best teams in the state \u2014 regardless of classification or affiliation.<\/p>\n
Leading the way are:<\/p>\n
Chase Smith (So.)\u00a0\u2014 16.6 PPG<\/p>\n
Mekhi Allen (So.)\u00a0\u2014 14.9 PPG<\/p>\n
Bobby Montgomery III (So.)\u00a0\u2014 12.6 PPG<\/p>\n
Anchoring the rest of the starting lineup:<\/p>\n
Preston Scott (Jr.)\u00a0\u2014 10.5 PPG<\/p>\n
Cannon DeBerry (Jr.)\u00a0\u2014 6.6 PPG<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a balanced, skilled, athletic group \u2014 and one built to last.<\/p>\n
Running the Table<\/p>\n
Looking ahead at Queens Grant\u2019s remaining schedule, the one major challenge appears to be Butler on January 17th at the Carmel MLK event \u2014 another homecoming for the former Carmel Christian coach.<\/p>\n
Even so, Queens Grant will be a heavy favorite the rest of the way and is widely expected to cut down the nets in the NCHSAA 2A classification.<\/p>\n
National-Level Status<\/p>\n
There is no secret that Coach Joe Badgett and Queens Grant are trending toward national relevance \u2014 provided the core stays together.<\/p>\n
This sophomore group has a realistic shot at a three-peat. While roster continuity has become increasingly difficult in the NIL and transfer era, if anyone can manage it, it\u2019s Joe Badgett.<\/p>\n
As Stuart Scott would say:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s as cool as the other side of the pillow.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Cool as the Other Side of the Pillow\u201d \u2014 Joe Badgett and the Rise of Queens Grant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97034,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[44939,44940,44941,44942,9,24,63,122,44943,124,123],"class_list":["post-97033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-carmel-christian","tag-carmel-christian-mlk-showcase","tag-carmel-christian-tip-off-classic-presented-by-phenom-hoop-report","tag-joe-badgett","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-grant","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97033","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=97033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}