Queens basketball shows promise in conference play

The Royals are 5-1 against Atlantic Sun Conference opponents

Queens guard Bryce Cash (10) passes the ball during a December game at Ole Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis / AP Photo)

CHARLOTTE — Led by third-year coach Grant Leonard, the Queens University of Charlotte men’s basketball team has taken a step forward in its third season in NCAA Division I athletics.

The Royals (12-7, 5-1 ASUN) are now on track for their best overall record and conference record since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2022.

Prior to a deflating 60-47 road loss to Florida Gulf Coast (10-9, 5-1 ASUN) on Saturday afternoon, Queens had rattled five straight wins as the Royals saw their combined D1 record (44-41) rise above .500 for the first time since their inaugural season after transitioning from Division II.

Their initially perfect start to conference play was their best start since they had 11 straight league wins as a DII team in 2018-19.

“Our program is taking positive steps forward,” Leonard said prior to a 95-60 win over Stetson (5-14, 3-3 ASUN) on Jan. 16. “Our biggest goal this year was to compete for the ASUN championship, and we’re putting ourselves in the position of that. But as we progress, and we’ve won conference championships before, it’s having a mindset that our real record is 0-0. The most important game this season is the next one.”

The Royals’ 35-point road domination of the Hatters — the winners of the 2024 ASUN Tournament — demonstrated an in-season progression for Queens, leveling up even more following a nine-point home win against the Hatters on Jan. 2.

“They’re the team that eliminated us and finished our season last year, so we have a healthy hungriness to avenge that loss at their place,” Leonard said. “We have to understand how hard road wins are to get in conference, and that you have to take every single one as seriously as possible if we want to win a championship.”

Thanks to a balanced team effort, Queens has managed to win over 60% of its games during its 2024-25 campaign as seniors Leo Colimerio and Chris Ashby have guided the Royals’offense to victory.

Queens has been particularly effective at home inside Curry Arena, where it has amassed a 6-1 record countering the team’s 5-6 record outside of Charlotte.

Holding a 9-2 record in their past 11 games, much has changed since the beginning of the season at a time when the Royals found themselves with a 3-5 record in the first week of December.

Their identity has resolved itself in pure depth as a key to success — the Royals rank 14th in the country (first in the ASUN) in bench scoring with 33.4 points per game.

In total, the squad has ten different players who average at least five points a game.

“It’s not about trying to score 40 points — I just care about winning,” said Colimerio, who leads the roster in points (12.8 ppg) and minutes (28). “I let the game come to me as long as my teammates find me when the ball is dropping in. I just try to adjust my mistakes that I make on defense and take care of the ball. It’s about having fun out there with my teammates and playing as hard as I can.”

With a 5-1 conference record, the team is currently in a four-way tie for first place in the ASUN with Lipscomb (13-6, 5-1 ASUN), Jacksonville (11-7, 5-1 ASUN), and FGCU.

Queens seven-footer Malcolm Wilson blocks a Mississippi shot at the basket during a December game. (Rogelio V. Solis / AP Photo)

Queens will continue to need more physical play as its conference slate of matchups moves on. The team ranks 13th in the country with 5.4 blocks per game, topping the ASUN as 7-foot-0 center Malcolm Wilson leads the nation in blocked shots with a game average of 3.5 blocks.

While the Royals have been on the upswing the month and a half, this past weekend’s 47-point showing at FGCU showed that they are capable of still falling flat with a true star scorer in the mix. There were no silver linings on offense as Queens posted a season-low 29% field goal percentage against the Eagles.

Luckily for Leonard and his Royals team, they have a recent history of rising to the occasion this season as they look to bounce back at home versus North Florida (9-10, 2-4 ASUN) and Jacksonville this week. One fluky offensive disappearance doesn’t define a team that scored over 90 points in three of its previous five contests.

For now, Queens will soldier on as it chases its goal of passing the mark of seven conference wins that it set in the past two seasons. The growing basketball program that has a shot of confidence now needs to keep up the good work and watch the sprouting of the seeds it has planted in Charlotte.