BOSTON, Mass. – After being named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week on Monday afternoon, Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball standout Leo Colimerio was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.
 
"I've been feeling great and I'm in a program where Coach Leonard and this team believe in me, so it feels great every day coming to play," said Colimerio. "Coach G and everyone on this team is so positive, and it feels great that the work I'm putting in is showing on the court and helping the team get two key conference wins. Shoutout to my teammates for trusting me, and I look forward to keeping this thing going."
 
The honor marks the first time a Queens player has received weekly honors at the national level since joining the ranks in 2022. The 6-foot-7 graduate student led the Royals to a 2-0 week, the best start in ASUN play since joining the league. Colimerio averaged 31.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.  Against FGCU on Saturday, Colimerio scored a career-high 35 points on an efficient 12-of-15 shooting from the field and a 6-of-8 mark from downtown. The 35-point effort marked the most points scored by a Queens player in the Division 1 era.
 
This season, Colimerio leads the Royals with 13.7 points per game on 53-percent shooting. The veteran is adding 4.7 boards and 1.7 assists per game. Across 15 starts, Colimerio has reached double figures in 10 games, including five straight. In the ASUN, the first-year star ranks 14^th in the league in scoring and top 25 in rebounding. Colimerio has led Queens to their first 2-0 start in ASUN play since joining the league in 2022.
 
The 2025 Lute Olson National Player of the Year award will be announced in April in San Antonio, the site of the 2025 men's NCAA basketball championship. The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division 1 player. It's named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons while securing 11 PAC-10 conference tournament titles, 23 straight NCAA tournament appearances, four Final Four appearances, and a National Championship appearance in 1997. Past recipients of the award include Zach Edey (Purdue), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA), Payton Pritchard (Oregon), Ja Morant (Murray State), and Jalen Brunson (Villanova).
 
Colimerio and the Royals are prepping for their first road test in league play as they head to Tennessee for back-to-back showings. The Royals will face the preseason favorites from Lipscomb on Thursday, January 9^th before traveling to Austin Peay for a Saturday evening showdown in Clarksville. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN Plus and fans can purchase their tickets in advance by visiting the Queens Athletics website.
 
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for news and updates throughout the season. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.