CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens University of Charlotte head men's basketball coach Grant Leonard is thrilled to announce the promotions of Damian Dixon and Amit Tailor on Tuesday afternoon. Dixon will transition into the Assistant Coach and Director of Recruiting role, while Tailor will move into an Assistant Coaching role and serve as the Game Plan and Strategy Coordinator. The duo just wrapped up their first season in Charlotte and collectively brings a wealth of college and professional basketball knowledge to the Royals program.
 
"Our program is constantly focused on development and growth, and promoting Amit and Damian is completely aligned with our program and mission," said head coach Grant Leonard. "They put in the work and helped this program take the next step in our evolution in the ASUN, and now it's time for them to grow and expand their roles within our family." 
 
For the past season, Dixon served as the Director of Player Development for the Royals. While in this position, Queens saw three players named to the ASUN Postseason Awards and Honors list, including the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year in Malcolm Wilson. The 7-0 shot blocker led the nation in blocked shots the entire season and was named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year, an award presented annually to the top defensive player in Division 1 college basketball.
 
In addition to Wilson, Dixon assisted in the development of Second Team All-ASUN selection Leo Colimerio and Third Team All-ASUN honoree Chris Ashby. Colimerio, a Fresno State transfer, spent one season in the Queen City and ranked top 20 in the league in scoring, rebounding, and assists. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native earned a pair of weekly ASUN honors along with two National Player of the Week nods. Ashby proved to be one of the top perimeter shooters in the country, ranking ninth in three-pointers made and third in attempts from behind the arc.
 
Dixon, a graduate of Greensboro College, got his coaching career underway at his alma mater as the head junior varsity coach. Dixon led the squad to an undefeated season in 2016-17 before earning a promotion to assistant coach of the varsity squad in 2014. Across three seasons as an assistant coach, Dixon coached and developed five USA South All-Conference performers, including the 2014-15 USA South Player of the Year, Simeon Howard.  
 
The success led Dixon to the Sunshine State, where he joined Eckerd College as an assistant coach from 2020 to 2023. While on staff with the Tritons, Dixon assisted in the development of three Sunshine State All-Conference winners, including the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year. Dixon served a critical role in the program's operations, specializing in scheduling and travel, file editing and scouting breakdowns, and player development. 
 
"Damian crushed it in his player development role and walked our Queens motto, 'not to be served, but to serve'," said Leonard. "The players spoke loudly in their backing and support of Damian and what he did for our program last season. His past coaching experiences at the Division 3, Division 2, and Division 1 level model a few coaches in our program, and he will continue to grow at the ASUN level." 
 
Dixon earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Greensboro College before earning his Master of Science from Florida International University. Dixon was a four-year guard for Greensboro College and received numerous accolades, including a two-time USA South All-Conference selection, two-time USA South All-Tournament Team, and NCCSIA All-State Second Team honor. Dixon finished his career top five in program history in scoring, rebounds, three-pointers made, and steals.  

"I want to sincerely thank Coach Leonard for the opportunity to step into the role of assistant coach," said Dixon. "I'm incredibly grateful for the trust and confidence, and I'm excited to continue building something special with our program."
 
Also moving up is former Director of Advance Scouting, Amit Tailor. In his previous role, Tailor worked closely with defensive coordinator Bobby Horodyski on pre-game preparation, as well as in-game matchups and defensive tactics. Tailor also contributed to film breakdowns, scout preparations, and tendency reports. Tailor served a vital role on the bench during games with video analysis and feedback. Tailor's impact helped the Royals post the fifth-best scoring defense in the league while ranking third in turnovers forced per game.
 
"Amit was instrumental in our scouting and technology upgrades that we made last year," said Leonard. "He is at the forefront of implementing AI into our program, which will pay off huge. Amit will continue to grow his coaching voice and relationships with the players in his new role, but with his experience in the NBA, G-League, ACC, SEC, and WCC, the players will gravitate towards his forward-thinking and perspective." 
 
Tailor came to the Queen City after serving as the Equipment and Manager of Basketball Operations for the Grand Rapids Gold, the NBA G-League affiliate of the 2023 NBA Champions Denver Nuggets. In this role, Tailor assisted with player development and practices, scouting, and operational logistics. Prior to his time in Grand Rapids, Tailor worked as a Video and Player Development Associate with the Houston Rockets, where he was responsible for opponent scouting, video preparation, on-court practice participation, and research projects assisted by the coaching staff and front office.
 
Tailor got his start in college coaching as an Assistant Video Coordinator with the University of Florida Men's Basketball team. While in Gainesville, Tailor conducted extensive research in basketball analytics to assist the coaching staff with future decision-making. A key point of his work was live coding games and opponents for film and halftime breakdown. The two seasons with the Gators opened up an opportunity as a Video Assistant and Analytics Coordinator with the Santa Clara Men's Basketball team. Tailor assisted with day-to-day operations and rebuilt the video room and video scouting workflow to further lead player and scout breakdowns.
 
Tailor also spent six seasons at the ACC level as a Video Coordinator for the Clemson Men's Basketball team. With the Tigers, he oversaw analytics to aid self and opponent scouting while learning and integrating hardware and software technology to assist with player development. While in Clemson, Tailor helped the Tigers make a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run in 2017-18. 
 
Tailor graduated with the highest distinction from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. He proceeded to get a Master of Science from Yale University in Chemistry before later attaining a Master of Science from Santa Clara University in Engineering Management and Technology.

"I cannot thank Coach Leonard enough for this opportunity," said Tailor. "I am excited to continue serving Queens and carrying out his vision as we strive for greatness, championships, and enhancing the student-athlete experience on and off the court."
 
Queens is coming off their third Division 1 campaign, which was a historic one. The Royals reached the 20-win mark for the first time in Division 1, and the 19^th time in school history. Queens made their third consecutive trip to the Atlantic Sun Tournament and defeated Florida Gulf Coast to advance to their first semifinal appearance. Following the 19-14 season, Queens accepted an invitation to the 2025 Purple College Basketball Invitational, where they took down Northern Arizona in the opening round.
 
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for news and updates throughout the offseason. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.