Queens basketball embraces ‘Buddy’, street dog mentality, and colorful sweaters
From the moment the Queens University basketball team walked into the Enterprise Center on Thursday for its pre-NCAA Tournament press conference and practice, it was clear this was no ordinary team.
Coach Grant Leonard wore a wildly colorful sweater, which has become his trademark. His players carried in a 2-foot statue of a German Shepherd named “Buddy” that embodies the Royals’ “street dog” mentality and has become their unofficial mascot. Buddy wore a studded collar with a bejeweled “B” charm.
Buddy sat atop the dais between Yoav Berman and Nasir Mann during the players’ interview session, and was back there next to Leonard while he explained how Buddy helped motivate players to take charges and dive for loose balls.
“Buddy is like our spirit animal,” Leonard said. “I knew we had a very talented team this year, scoring and shooting; I never thought that was going to be the issue. I always try to motivate them to do the little things, the tough things.
“Last summer as we are trying to bring that spirit out in our guys, our guys said that they were dogs. One of the assistant coaches, Coach (Adam) Short, we call him “Bulldog,” he asked them, `Are you street dogs or Petco dogs’, meaning, are you guys spoiled or do you have to fight for what you want? We want them to embody the street dog mentality of fighting for everything you can get.”
The coaching staff searched for a tough-looking dog on Amazon.com, ordered Buddy and after each game started awarding him to the player who put in the grittiest performance.
That toughness helped lead the small, private school in Charlotte to a third-place finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference and a league championship that clinched its first berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Buddy sat near the water cooler for every game, home and road (“We have to keep him hydrated,” Leonard quipped). He will be there again Friday night when the 15th-seeded Royals (21-13) try to topple No. 2 Purdue (27-8).
Redshirt freshman guard Matthew Walter has taken on the role of Buddy’s travel companion. He carries him through airports and Buddy stays in his hotel room.
“I wouldn’t say he is our mascot, but more of an identity,” Mann said. “We try to go out and play each game very hard and whoever we feel like was the hardest playing player, not necessarily the one who scores all of the points but the one who does the dirty work to get the win, usually gets the dog.”
“Buddy has been great for us,” Leonard said. “And so, he will be with Queens for a long time.”
The coach then made a clarification: “This is actually Buddy 2, because Buddy 1 got injured in a celebration in Fort Myers after we beat Florida Gulf Coast. So Buddy 1 is retired, and Buddy 2 is now sitting here.”
Leonard and his players are relishing every moment of their first trip to the NCAA Tournament and hope fans will now know, at the very least, where the school is located.
After Selection Sunday, Purdue’s Australian center Oscar Cluff was asked if knew anything about Queens, and he said that it was somewhere in New York. That video clip made the rounds on social media.
“We get that a lot when people think it is in New York,” Berman said. “It doesn’t matter. Definitely fuels you a little bit, kind of makes you mad. But it is what it is.”
Mann laughed and said: “At first it was a little disrespectful, then we realized probably a year or two ago before we came to Queens, we didn’t know where it was either. That’s the best thing about this moment we can put Charlotte on the map.”
Leonard echoed his players.
“Someone asked if I was mad that the Purdue center didn’t know we were in North Carolina. No. This is an awesome way to bring more light to the school,” he said.
He went on to do an impromptu promotion for the university:
“Queens is an amazing place. It is life changing. More people need to know about how unique and special Queens is, Charlotte, Myers Park how beautiful the neighborhood is, and how the education, it really prepares people for their next phase in life in a special way. I have been at six schools, and this is by far the most special place I have ever been.”
Finally, Leonard was asked about those sweaters. He has a closet full of garish holiday-themed sweaters and the collection is growing.
“The sweaters have become a thing,” he said. “I started wearing joyous holiday sweaters, ugly Christmas sweaters, but I started doing it during games. People really liked them. The players really thought it was funny. It kind of brought a light mood to what we sometimes overthink things.
“I wore one for the day after Thanksgiving. It went viral. (It had a turkey on the front and on the back said: “Leftovers are for quitters.”) I had one for Hanukkah when we played Wake Forest. I had one for Kwanzaa when I was at Auburn. I wore two Christmas ones. I wore Martin Luther King for Black History Month, Presidents Day, Groundhog Day.”
Needless to say, he has a special one picked out for Friday.
“I am all Irish, but I grew up in America. I am going to have one tomorrow that will honor both of those heritages. Should be fun.”