Penn exits NCAA tournament at peace, with eye to the future

Penn acknowledges its fans following its first-round NCAA tournament game against Illinois in Greenville, S.C., Thursday.  (Photo:  Penn Basketball)

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – Coming back to Penn was a dream come true for Fran McCaffery. The Philadelphia native finished his collegiate playing career as a Quaker after growing up with visions of playing in The Palestra.

Facing a third-seeded Illinois who shot 70 percent through three second-half segments without star Ethan Roberts was quite the opposite.

The Quakers’ magical Ivy League championship season came to an abrupt halt late into the South Carolina night Thursday. What could have been a horror film quickly turned into a love story.

The love started from Penn players Cam Thrower and Michael Zanoni, who expressed that they, too, shared their coach’s dream.

“Since (I was) a kid, I’ve always dreamed of this,” Zanoni said of his NCAA experience. “To go out there and do it was really fun, especially with Penn across my chest – that’s a dream come true. It’s a dream school for me. Just to play with my brothers out there and hit some shots was a really cool feeling. I know my younger self is super happy.”

Zanoni has another year of eligibility remaining. Thrower, however, played his final collegiate game on the biggest possible stage.

“It’s definitely been a dream come true,” Thrower said. “Like Mike said, a lot of kids dream of this opportunity. For me, it was an opportunity to step up. I just wanted to be aggressive, leave no regrets, and seize the moment.”

Star forward TJ Power should have played as big a role as Thrower and Zanoni. Instead, Power battled sickness all week, and though he played a significant amount Thursday, his struggles were apparent.

“TJ wasn’t himself,” McCaffery said. “He was sick for two days. We thought he was going to get better. We put four or five IVs in him to try to get him through it. He played 30 minutes for me. When I took him out the last time, I was not going to put him back in the game. It would not have been fair to him.”

“You could tell – in particular on the glass, because he’s an elite rebounder – that he didn’t quite have the energy or the explosion that he normally does, but there was no question that he was going to show up and fight for us. I’m so proud of him.”

The pride in McCaffery shone through. He was softer and more reflective. He seemed at peace with the result. Then, he responded to a question and confirmed the perception.

“I didn’t break down the game at all with them. I just told them how proud I was of them,” McCaffery said. “I’m a new coach here. I just said, ‘Hey, I came in and I asked you to follow the path that I’m gonna try to show you.’ To a man, they did that every day. We practiced in the morning, and they showed up early. They just worked extremely hard and had an incredibly positive attitude every day.”

“I know coaches say that a lot, but when you have 18 guys, some of them aren’t playing. It’s not always easy to be that hard-working, that committed to your brother, that committed to winning. Every one of them was. It gives me great pride, because I wore that jersey. I told them that.”

McCaffery praised his team and its commitment to one another.

“What they accomplished this year together – to watch them celebrate last Sunday, there’s no better feeling as a coach,” McCaffery said. “I have not had more fun coaching a team than I did this year.”

McCaffery’s focus then shifted from Thursday’s game to a much larger game.

“My teammates were at practice today. My teammates were at my press conference. This is about relationships,” McCaffery said. “All three of my roommates were at the game on Sunday. That’s what it’s all about.”

“Those relationships endure. I think some of those things get lost these days in a transactional world of college basketball. It’s not like that at Penn. It’s not like that in the Ivy League. This summer, I’ll go to two weddings of my former players. There’ll be 20 people there that were his teammates or their roommates. That’s why I’m so proud of Cam. I want them to know how special these years are.”

The years are special for McCaffery, too. His dream – just like those of Thrower and Zanoni, and every other player in a Penn jersey Thursday night – came true. Now, he can reap the joy that sees its first seeds sown in the mind and heart of a son of Philadelphia.

“Unless you grew up in Philadelphia and spent every Saturday night at The Palestra pretty much all your childhood years, you probably wouldn’t completely understand it,” McCaffery said. “(I was) dreaming of one day wearing the jersey of a Big 5 team. I knew the power of the academic profile at the University of Pennsylvania, and that became my number-one choice.”

“My alma mater said, ‘Okay, this is our guy.’ I know how important the basketball program is to the university. Yeah, we’re part of something bigger – the university and the athletic department. Penn basketball and the tradition is something that a lot of people take great pride in, and they put me in charge. I couldn’t be more thankful. It’s truly a blessing to be at my alma mater, to be home, and then to have a group like I have and the support from our administration that I have. You can’t do it alone.”

The Quakers won’t have to do it alone next season. A large part of Penn’s core – save for Roberts, Thrower, and Johnnie Walter – returns next season. They will bring with them a tremendous experience – results be damned – and will play for a coach who seems to have proven that you can go home again.

“I feel so blessed to have been doing this for as long as I have. I’m going to keep doing it because I love these guys,” McCaffery said. “I’m incredibly fortunate and incredibly proud. I can’t wait to get back to work.”

Queens celebrates its first Selection Sunday in style

Queens gathers at center court as they prepare to watch the NCAA tournament selection show Sunday.  (Photo:  Brian Wilmer/Daly Dose of Hoops)

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CHARLOTTE – Queens fans are not accustomed to waiting.

The Royals joined Division I in May of 2022. Six months later, Queens defeated Marshall, 83-82. It was then announced before the 2025-26 season that the Royals’ transition was finished and they would be eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Six months after that, the team brought an ASUN tournament title trophy back to Charlotte and set up a celebration inside Curry Arena for the team’s first-ever tournament berth.

Despite a false start or two, there was an audible gasp before Duke’s first-round opponent, Siena was revealed – the faithful who filled the building got to celebrate during the second bracket reveal. The CBS announcers had not even finished saying that Purdue would be facing a team going to the tournament for the first time before the crowd erupted in celebration.

“Today is surreal. It could be the biggest moment in school history,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said in remarks after the selection show. “All the unique things that have happened (this season). Winning that (ASUN championship) game and then having Selection Sunday here…that crowd was amazing. I’m glad to be a part of it.”

To call Leonard a part of it is quite the understatement. The head Royal has been a key part of Queens’ success even before the events of the last four years. Leonard recognizes that history, along with the faith shown by the leadership at Queens.

“I’m probably the only coach in college basketball history that went from Division II assistant to Division I head coach in the same year,” Leonard said. “That was Queens’ belief in our culture and our players. Thank them for having the belief in what we did, and for me, it’s about building community through basketball and being a part of this unbelievable community in Myers Park and Charlotte. I’m just elated for everyone to get to be a part of this. Yeah, I’m proud of myself, but as I always say, our standard is our standard. We kind of expect to do well.”

The Royals’ first tournament team is loaded with interesting stories. There are transfers who found themselves again at Queens, star freshmen from the area, and a group of players that have invested in each other as much as any group Leonard has ever coached. Two of those stars, senior transfers Gus Larson and Nas Mann, both cited on Senior Day how they had rekindled their love for the game in Charlotte.

“The most rewarding part about coaching is those relationships,” Leonard said. “I’d like to think that we do things the right way. The biggest thing is watching those guys like Gus who maybe weren’t in love with basketball when they got here because they had tough situations. To watch them now is truly rewarding as a coach.”

The local stories like freshman guards Isaiah Henry and Jordan Watford are also incredibly compelling. Henry battled adversity to become a key contributor on this year’s squad, while Watford made the All-Freshman squad in the ASUN after averaging 11.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.

Watford drew specific praise from his leader.

“Wat’s awesome,” Leonard said. “I’m glad we’re part of his journey. He’s a fantastic player, but an even better person. I think he believed in our family values and how we treat people. He wanted to be a part of a culture that was about growth and development. He came here and he got better and better, too. I’m happy that players can see, ‘Hey, if I choose Queens, I’m going to get what I want out of this.”

This may be Queens’ first time on this national stage, but the Royals will not be blinded by the lights. The Royals played Villanova, Furman, Virginia, and Arkansas – all on the road – among this season’s NCAA participants. That scheduling was admittedly challenging, but it paid off in a big way for Queens.

“I think scheduling difficult (games) in the non-conference is really important,” Leonard said. “You learn a lot of lessons early so that you can fix them for conference (play). Our guys will be prepared. They won’t be shocked by Purdue’s size.”

“They’re an unbelievable opponent. We’re going to go there not to smell the roses, but to show them how Queens basketball goes.”

That scheduling should also play dividends for Leonard’s squad and how they process the moment.

“I’m going to tell them that it’s okay to be nervous. I think when you’re nervous, it’s good – that means it’s important,” Leonard said. “The biggest thing is not to try to shoot your way out of the nerves. It’s to make hustle plays to kind of get the butterflies out. The biggest thing is just to play with incredible energy.”

“Our guys are going to be really focused, and they’re super excited about this. Again, our standard is our standard. I know they’re going to go there trying to win that game.”

The Royals will greet the Boilermakers with a balanced scoring attack and an offense that is at its best when the ball moves frequently throughout each possession.

“The way we play is that we play for each other,” Leonard said. “The reason we have six guys (averaging) in double figures and a seventh that’s close is because they share the ball and they love each other. I know they’re going to play with that spirit and Purdue is going to be incredibly difficult to score on. Our guys are going to show that they can really score. Our offense has been fantastic all year.”

As much as this is a significant moment for Queens, it is equally significant for the surrounding Myers Park neighborhood in which Queens is located. A quiet, mostly residential area of Charlotte, Myers Park has rallied around the Royals. The two neighbors seem quite fond of each other.

“This moment isn’t just about us. It’s for the whole community and the whole school,” Leonard said. “For us, it’s going to do unbelievable things for the entire institution – from admissions to advancement to our athletic department. You’ve seen the steady growth over four years with our team, and now our university is going to get rewarded with it. It takes a village to do something like this. I’m just so happy that Queens has been so supportive over these four years.”

The 15th-seeded Royals open NCAA tournament play Friday night against second-seeded Purdue in St. Louis, Mo. Tip time is set for 7:35 (Eastern), with coverage on truTV.