Queens University rallies around Buddy the Dog in NCAA tournament
ST. LOUIS — When Queens University coach Grant Leonard stepped as much as the days Thursday afternoon, he had firm.
Well, extra particularly, he had Buddy.
Perched to the proper of the microphone was a hollowed-out duplicate of a German Shepherd canine with a studded collar and “B” necklace around his neck. Throughout Queens’ run to the NCAA males’s tournament in its first yr of eligibility, Buddy has served as the group’s unofficial mascot. As the 15-seed Royals put together to face 2-seed Purdue on Friday in St. Louis, there is a purpose Leonard referred to as Buddy the group’s “spirit animal.”
“We want [the players] to embody the street dog mentality of fighting for everything you can get,” Leonard stated.
Technically, Buddy is a trophy. After every sport, he’s awarded to the Queens participant who does the issues that do not get counted in the field rating however are integral to the group’s success, resembling taking costs or diving to the flooring for free balls. This season, the personal college situated in Charlotte, North Carolina, completed third in the American Sun Conference throughout the common season however earned a spot in the NCAA tournament following an additional time win over Central Arkansas in the league championship sport.
To be much more exact, the canine that will probably be on the flooring of Enterprise Arena is Buddy II. According to Leonard, Buddy I used to be “injured” throughout a postgame celebration in January after Queens beat Florida Gulf Coast.
Procured by way of Amazon, Buddy goes all over the place with the group. Redshirt freshman guard Matthew Waltera reserve on the group’s bench, is his unofficial caretaker tasked with such duties as escorting Buddy by way of the airport.
The group has embraced what Buddy has come to characterize.
“Buddy, he has definitely been our identity,” Queens sophomore guard Yoav Berman he stated. “We are going to go out and play hard every game.”
Leonard stated that final summer time, the teaching workers was making an attempt to deliver that spirit out of the gamers, who then responded that “they were dogs.” That prompted a follow-up query from Queens assistant coach Adam Short, who’s nicknamed Bulldog: Were they the pampered kind of canine or the kind that might earn their maintain with scrappy play?
The Royals (21-13) are hoping to take a giant chew out of Purdue (27-8), the Big Ten tournament winners and a group that also boasts key gamers from the 2024 squad that misplaced in the nationwide championship sport.
Queens senior guard Nasir Mann stated the group’s versatility and taking pictures depth throughout the roster might assist the Royals’ possibilities of an upset.
“Our ability is shoot and space the floor,” Mann stated. “Everybody on our team can shoot the ball at a pretty good clip. I think that’s a very dangerous thing. You can get hot at any given moment, especially in March Madness. That’s when the miracles truly happen.”
However Friday’s sport at the Enterprise Center unfolds, Buddy will probably be close by. He’ll have a seat close to the group’s water cooler, hoping to be a part of a historic celebration in St. Louis.
