Grant Leonard has become famous in the college basketball world for his eccentric taste in sweaters.
As his Queens team visited BYU Tuesday night, Leonard sported one of his most unique outfits to date: a white sweater with photos of three former Queens players along with the phrase “Latter Day Royals.”
“It’s a tribute to our connection to the LDS Church,” Leonard told reporters after the game about his sweater. “In my 14 years at Queens, we have had three LDS players. All of them were on very good teams, and their leadership and maturity was incredible for our program.
“I actively tried to recruit one or two other LDS players last year and gave up recruiting, but our connection to this church, and the way they represent themselves, is incredible, and I want to thank you for that.”
The three players pictured on the sweater were Josh Van Weezep, Jaxon Pollard and Gus Larson, all of whom are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and played for Leonard in Queens — and clearly left a lasting impression on the veteran coach.
“When kids go on missions and come back, they’ve done things in life that a lot of them don’t understand, so the adversity they’ve encountered on those missions is incredible,” Leonard said.
“When these kids come into our program, they’re always an incredible leader and a voice of reason. So I just appreciated their maturity, their work ethic, their intellect and the way they communicate.”
Leonard has many other ties to BYU, saying he is longtime friends with Cougars assistant Chris Burgess and recruiting director Justin Young.
Additionally, former BYU Director of Basketball Operations Bobby Horodyski left Provo in 2023 to be part of Leonard’s Royals staff for three seasons from 2023-2026.
“(BYU) is a first-class place. It’s one of the nicest places in the country, and so I’m really grateful for that,” Leonard said. “…BYU is an incredible team.”
Since being promoted to head coach at Queens in 2022, Leonard has gone 75-65 with the Royals, taking them to their first NCAA Tournament last season and is expected to return to the Big Dance next March.
Queens put up an admirable fight against BYU on Tuesday, scoring 14 3-pointers in a 98-82 loss to the No. 23-ranked Cougars.
Although the Royals currently have no Latter-day Saints on their roster, Leonard hopes to change that in the future, offering a postgame message in Provo inviting all members of the faith to consider playing for his program.
“I want everyone to know that for all LDS players, Queens is a welcome home if you’re good enough for us,” Leonard said.
Perhaps Leonard’s jumper will feature more than three players when Queens next visits the Marriott Center.
Gn sports
