Maryland basketball landed its biggest commitment of the Kevin Willard era when five-star center Derik Queen went public with his pledge, just days after notifying the Terrapins staff as he elected to return home over a chance to play at Indiana, Houston and Kansas. His pledge ended a near-two year pursuit from Kevin Willard while assistant David Cox once picked up the pieces that former assistant Tony Skinn began putting together back in the summer of 2022. But in the end, it was Queen’s desire to return home, coupled with his development plan under Willard, that drove the Terps to the finish line.
“I’ve been gone for three years, and I was like, why not come home,” Queen said on GCR on Thursday. “Basically what I [though] was what school that I think helped me, that I had the best chance of making it to the NBA pretty much and where I fit in at and where I felt most comfortable at.”
What was it about Maryland’s pitch that stuck out most? “The coaches and the plans that they have for me.”
Queen was initially expected to make his commitment during the early signing period but opted to remain patient with his senior season ahead of him. That gave the Baltimore native a chance to watch his final suitors through the season and assess the fit, but despite a rebuilding season in College Park as Maryland enters Senior Day just 15-14 overall, Queen didn’t let the results outweigh his potential fit under Kevin Willard.
“I know they’re struggling, but a lot of teams go through it. Like Coach Willard did a good job last year. And this year, I guess he didn’t have all the pieces or something…the offensive game is what they’re struggling in, but they do a pretty good job on defense. So it was just basically the offense.”
Queen, who says he models his game after Joel Embid and Nikola Jokic, will likely pair alongside his former St. Frances teammate, Julian Reese, in College Park next season though Queen admitted, “we [didn’t] really talk a lot, but Juju is still my guy.” As for how they can coexist alongside each other in the paint, Queen didn’t share much concern when it came to floor spacing.
“We did it in my freshman year so I think we can do it at a higher level this year,” he added. “I think it’s really good [because] we can both help each other.”
During his time at St. Frances, Queen showcased his inside-out shooting touch and wasn’t shy about flashing his three-point shooting, but he’s shied away from that since transferring to Montverde Academy. In fact, the five-star has attempted just ten threes over the last two seasons, including two as a senior, and converted just three of those attempts. Leaning on his scoring ability outside the paint would open floor spacing for the Terps in Willard’s third season as head coach, but Queen is still confident he can implement his outside touch back in his game.
“I just gotta take more. That’s all.”
One area that Queen will look to take a step forward in is with his conditioning, though the five-star pointed to trying “to keep up with the fast guards on my team when we run in practice” as his primary way of doing so.
What does Queen want to accomplish during his upcoming time as a Terp?
“Winning the Big Ten title, making a deep run in the NCAA tournament.”
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