THE BASKETBALL NEXUS WEBSITE PRESENTS: “STATE OF THE GAME PODCAST” S2 E2 FEATURING COACH GRANT LEONARD, QUEENS UNIVERSITY (NC) “A DEEP DIVE INTO HOW WE TEACH THE GAME AT QUEENS U.” *Use code BACKTOSCHOOL2026 at checkout to purchase a full, 1-year membership to the content-packed Basketball Nexus website for ONLY $34.00 (15% Discount). Our ‘26 Back-to-School sale ends on Sunday, September 13, 2026. Check it out at https://coaching-nexus.myrustbeltbasketball.com/. Coach Grant Leonard has quickly become one of the hottest names in NCAA DI men’s basketball. Leonard joined Derek Sheridan on August 5th, 2026, to take a deep dive into his methodology of teaching his offensive & defensive systems. Coach Leonard is known for his robust sense of humor & uncanny ability to teach a fast-paced offense while demanding that his team play unselfishly & value possession of the basketball. On the defensive side of the court, Leonard has forged a reputation for being a masterful defensive tactician. Coach Leonard’s teams are known for mixing up defenses & changing how they utilize their man-to-man “Gapping” defense for each opponent. Podcast Duration: 1:02:52 Grant Leonard was promoted to head men’s basketball coach in the spring of 2022 following six years as the associate head coach. Leonard, who has been coaching for 20 years, joined the Royals in 2013 as an assistant coach before becoming associate head coach in 2016. Leonard is the sixth head coach in Queens men’s basketball history. TOPICS COVERED: - Queens U. transitioning from DII to DI (22-23) - Wisconsin basketball coaching legends - Three things to emphasize during film sessions - Play fast, but not crazy fast - Coach Leonard's most important aspects of his team’s offense - Modern basketball vs. traditional basketball - Coach Leonard's teaching system - How to teach game management concepts - How to define each player's strengths - How Coach Leonard’s sweaters became famous - What team defense really starts with - Important, unconventional, defensive stats to focus on - The different types of blockouts to teach - The Queens U. conversion defensive system - Who Coach Leonard says is the best coach he’s ever faced COACH GRANT’S 2025-2026 QUEENS U. ROYALS ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Led Queens to their second straight 20-win season in Division 1 program history, and their 20th in school history. Captured the first Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title in program history after taking down top-seeded Central Arkansas 98-93 in overtime. Guided the Royals to their first NCAA Division 1 Tournament appearance, where #15 Queens matched up against #2 Purdue in the first round. Developed three All-ASUN standouts, including Yoav Berman (2nd Team), Avantae Parker (3rd Team), and Jordan Watford (All-Freshman). Chris Ashby was named a CollegeInsider.com Nolan Richardson Award finalist, an award given annually to a Division 1 player who is the heart and soul of his team and a leader on and off the court. On the year, Ashby averaged 11.6 points on 37.5% shooting from the perimeter. The Houston, Texas native buried 111 threes on the year, which was the 14th most in the country Chris Ashby broke the school record for three-pointers made in a career. Additionally, Ashby finished his career ranked second all-time in ASUN history and top 40 in NCAA history for threes made. Nasir Mann was named the ASUN Tournament MVP. That year, Mann led the Royals with 13.3 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game and posted four double-doubles. Freshman Jordan Watford was named the 2025-26 Mid Major Madness Preseason ASUN Freshman of the Year. The rookie dished out a team-high 3.9 assists per game, the most by a true freshman in program history since 1992. The 3.9 assists per game ranked seventh in the ASUN. The Royals' offense ranked 18th in the nation and first in the ASUN in scoring with 84.5 points per game. Additionally, Queens was top 85 in 3-point field goal percentage (35.8%) as well as top 15 in 2-point field goal percentage (58.9%) Recruited and developed 33 players who have played professional basketball in the past 11 seasons. During that span, the Royals have had three NABC All-Americans, 10 All-Region standouts, and 25 All-Conference performers. #highschoolbasketballcoaching, #nabc, #ibcacoaches, #ibca, #usabasketball, #nhsbca, #bcam, #ohsbca, #basketballcoachingclinics, #basketballcoaching, #highschoolbasketballcoaching, #basketballcamp, #basketballdrills, #basketballgame, #wbca, #kbca #highschoolbasketballcoaching, #nabc, #ibcacoaches, #ibca, #newyorkhighschoolbasketball, #kentuckyhighschoolbasketball, #illinoishighschoolbasketball, #gripspritz, #coachingclinics, #basketballcoachingclinics, #basketballvideos, #basketballclinicvideos, #newjerseyhighschoolbasketball, #westvirginahighschoolbasketball, #bcam, #virginahighschoolbasketball, #minnesotahighschoolbasketball, #northdakotahighschoolbasketball, #southdakotahighschoolbasketball, #iowahighschoolbasketball, #northcarolin