ST. LOUIS — When Queens University coach Grant Leonard stepped up to the dais Thursday afternoon, he had company.
Well, more specifically, he had Buddy.
Perched to the right of the microphone was a hollowed-out replica of a German Shepherd dog with a studded collar and “B” necklace around his neck. Throughout Queens’ run to the NCAA men’s tournament in its first year of eligibility, Buddy has served as the team’s unofficial mascot. As the 15-seed Royals prepare to face 2-seed Purdue on Friday in St. Louis, there’s a reason Leonard called Buddy the team’s “spirit animal.”
“We want [the players] to embody the street dog mentality of fighting for everything you can get,” Leonard said.
Technically, Buddy is a trophy. After each game, he is awarded to the Queens player who does the things that don’t get counted in the box score but are integral to the team’s success, such as taking charges or diving to the floor for loose balls. This season, the private school located in Charlotte, North Carolina, finished third in the American Sun Conference during the regular season but earned a spot in the NCAA tournament following an overtime win over Central Arkansas in the league championship game.
To be even more precise, the dog that will be on the floor of Enterprise Arena is Buddy II. According to Leonard, Buddy I was “injured” during a postgame celebration in January after Queens beat Florida Gulf Coast.
Procured via Amazon, Buddy goes everywhere with the team. Redshirt freshman guard Matthew Walter, a reserve on the team’s bench, is his unofficial caretaker tasked with such duties such as escorting Buddy through the airport.
The team has embraced what Buddy has come to represent.
“Buddy, he has definitely been our identity,” Queens sophomore guard Yoav Berman said. “We are going to go out and play hard every game.”
Leonard said that last summer, the coaching staff was trying to bring that spirit out of the players, who then responded that “they were dogs.” That prompted a follow-up question from Queens assistant coach Adam Short, who is nicknamed Bulldog: Were they the pampered type of canine or the type that could earn their keep with scrappy play?
The Royals (21-13) are hoping to take a big bite out of Purdue (27-8), the Big Ten tournament winners and a team that still boasts key players from the 2024 squad that lost in the national championship game.
Queens senior guard Nasir Mann said the team’s versatility and shooting depth across the roster could help the Royals’ chances of an upset.
“Our ability is shoot and space the floor,” Mann said. “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 game at the Enterprise Center unfolds, Buddy will be nearby. He’ll have a seat near the team’s water cooler, hoping to be part of a historic celebration in St. Louis.
