The Road to Division 1: Coach Grant Leonard's Blueprint for a Champion Program

What happens when you take one of the winningest Division 2 men's basketball programs, promote your assistant coach to head coach to replace a retiring legend, and move to Division 1 all in the same off-season. In the case of Queens University men's basketball, you accomplish a lot. The dedication, and the focus of Coach Grant Leonard is truly extraordinary. I love how he has built culture, invested in the lives of his student-athletes, and built a team and a support structure around them to help them bring the best every single game as they head into season 2 as a Division One program. Show Outline 1:23 - The monumental accomplishment of transitioning to Division 13:33 - The focus on student experience at Queens University6:27 - The importance of servant leadership in the program8:40 - The demands of transitioning to Division I10:10 - Preparing for the upcoming season schedule11:21 - Embracing adversity and focusing on details17:24 - The challenges of transitioning to Division I19:01 - Tools for player development and improvement22:21 - Views on NIL and its impact on recruiting and retention24:16 - Coach's personal time24:41 - Transition to Division One26:43 - Hiring criteria31:43 - Coach's emphasis on growth and development32:26 - How to follow the Queen's University men's basketball program32:45 - Unique experience at Queen's University basketball games Quotes from Coach Grant Leonard "How we handle adversity will define our season because we will get knocked down. Can we pick ourselves back up? Can we get to the next play? Can we get to the next game and not allow a hangover effect?" "[In Division 1,] our players had an unbelievable opportunity to play on a bigger stage, to play in major cities, and I thought it was awesome for them and really excited that our institution decided to do that." Connect with Coach Leonard and Queens Basketball @QUCoachGrant on Instagram@Queens_MBB on InstagramQueens Basketball