Montverde Academy HC Kevin Boyle on Derik Queen's commitment, skillset and development

Maryland basketball had all the buzz this week when five-star Derik Queen pulled the trigger on his commitment to not just give the staff their second commitment in the 2024 class, but to secure arguably Kevin Willard’s biggest target since arriving as head coach in the spring of 2022. Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle joined Glenn Clark Radio this week and dove into the Terps’ newest commit, whether he suspected Queen would ultimately land in College Park, Queen’s progress and more:

Boyle on whether he always suspected Derik Queen would head to Maryland

“I always thought it was a strong possibility, but Derik kept his cards. He’s a good poker player. He kept his cards close to his chest. A lot of times he would say he was a little confused on this school versus that school, kind of seeing how the schools were going to develop through the year and what was also the best fit for him. And it’s so hard today for kids because of the transfer portal with teams literally changing half their roster or more, sometimes you don’t know who you’re going to be playing with. And often that’s important, who you’re with sometimes helps all of us makes us look better when we’re with the right pieces. That’s always difficult, more difficult than ever for kids in today’s recruiting world.”

On what he knew about Derik Queen when he arrived at Montverde Academy

“I think Derik needed a lot of stuff to work on. One, he had a good feel for the game, a natural feel for the game and had a good basketball IQ for a kid his age and his size. But I think more than anything with Derik recognized and his mom and Mookie, who runs his AAU program all recognized that he needed to really be challenged from a daily standpoint from other good players and a program that could not play him if he didn’t work hard, could not play him if he didn’t reach certain expectations of effort and energy and in detail and stuff he was doing. And that’s really what happened to him early. Derik came in probably 30, 35, 40 pounds overweight and he worked and each year he made good progress. And probably last year about January, he was still going where he wasn’t getting to the level of intensity that was needed for his age and we didn’t play him much in a game last year in December and we got upset with one of our few losses in the last several years. He then kind of had it at a crossroads. If I’m going to leave or I’m going to start going a lot harder every day and get on the court. And I always told him, it’s up to you. You’re too good not to play if you compete hard. But you’re not going to play unless you compete hard. And he kind of turned the corner, had 34 against Sunrise the first week of January last year…and after that, there was some up and downs, but it’s been a nice, solid ride. He still needs to get another year or two, which I’m confident he’ll get.”

On Boyle’s relationship with Maryland head coach Kevin Willard

“I think coach Willard’s a good guy for that. I think he’ll coach you hard. He was at Seton Hall. I grew up in New Jersey so I know coach Willard well and I know his system well. And I think he’ll be a good match for Derik and I think Derik will be just terrific. He’s the most skilled big kid in high school basketball from a sense of being able to handle, pass and he’s got a terrific, terrific basketball IQ. He really understands the game. And I think with the college nutrition and another year of maturity and another year of the motor going to a next level, I think you’re gonna have a terrific, terrific player next year that’s really gonna help Maryland in the conference and I think will help them advance in the NCAA Tournament.”

On Queen’s skillset and fit

“Yes, well Derik’s a little bit of a combo. He definitely, his offense and most of his scoring is done within a five foot radius in the rim because he has, one, he has tremendous hands. If it touches his hands, it’s his ball. Secondly, he’s got a real good feel for post moves and being deceptive. He’s probably shooting 75% and again, it’s not college basketball, but the level we’re playing probably is a level of, I don’t know, a MAC level college basketball. St. Peter of those type of teams with probably better prospects, but just because they’re younger, that’s probably the level you’re playing at right now. And he’s dominating, shooting 75% mostly around basket. Now, he’s gonna have to expand that a little bit when you have guys with bigger bodies and hitting you harder and earlier from five feet to eight, nine, ten feet. But he’s going to be just like Malik Reneau, the player at Indiana that’s having great success. He was a great guy with feet, moves, up and unders. Derik has that without question as good as anybody in high school. But Derik has more than that because Derik reminds me — if Derik was from Serbia right now, people [would] be raving about him like he’s another Jokic of how he plays. That he can play in the post. He’s got great moves, not quite the shooter that he is obviously, but his passing is on the same level. He’s a unique high level post passer or post zoom handoff guy to guys. He really knows when to hand it, when to keep it and he’s got unique ability that way. And I think this summer, he’s got a great touch. He’s shooting like 80-plus percent from the foul line. It’s just he needs to reconstruct his jump shot a little bit. And if he, because he has a natural, nice touch, but he needs to spend like four or five months. If he gets that to the next level, then you’re talking about a real good pro. He’s gonna be an excellent college player, but if he gets that done, the good thing is he’s going to be a good pro. The bad thing is he’s going to be one year and gone.”

On why Queen is such a good free throw shooter

“He’s been shooting a lot of them every day, shooting a 100-plus almost every day when we’ve had the opportunity. And the biggest thing though, again, he’s terrific in the post. He’s got a little bit of a hitch in his shot. That kind of…don’t even know where it developed because as a sophomore, he really didn’t have that. I think sometimes you got to try to adjust your shot to bring it up higher and just like a lot of guards, where Steph Curry almost shoots it from his chin, chest, face, right through like one motion. And the old way for everybody was to start in your shooting pocket [in] your chest, bring it above your head and then shoot it like a Larry Bird. But a lot of guards, when they get older, it screws them up instead of kind of being like D’Angelo Russell or Steph Curry where they’re coming right from the dribble or right from the chest, right through the shot. And almost, those guys almost seem to shoot better because you don’t really have to jump much anyway…And I think Derik just now, you can’t really correct that stuff during the season and he’s not with us in the summer. So right now, it’s a situation, I think when this year is over, it’s like, hey, for the next three months after April to just get that kink out and then you have a guy that could screen and pop and hit 17 footers. Then the game’s over because his ability — again, he’s a unique guy. And he’s also great, he’s charismatic. He’s a guy that is great on a talk show if you get him on. He’s funny. He knows how to engage people. He’s liked by all his teammates. Yet he’s the guy that knows how to bust your chops a little bit and get under your skin in a playful way. So he’s just really, I’m gonna miss him when he leaves. He’s been one of my favorite guys in 35 years, has a personality not just a player, to be around.”

Queen on being a leader and how he leads

“Well, I think that’s something he had to learn, how to follow leaders first and learn to play harder from [his] sophomore year to junior year. And that’s something that he’s made a nice increase. Again, he’s not all the way there yet. But he’s getting there and he realizes that and he was mature enough even when I sat him a lot last year as a junior early in the year, even though he was better than guys, but he realized I need to play harder and I’m not going anywhere because it’s not going to help me to go someplace where I dominate. It’s going to catch up with me. It’s where you’re just always straight honest with them. Like, if you don’t get this part done, it’s going to catch up with you. Playing hard is automatic. You need to do that. He’s played harder and harder and again, I’m still, being honest, he still has to grow there to be an elite college player but he’s made great progress. And to me it’s like, I’m not gonna take you from a 50 to a hundred as a student. I’m gonna take it from a 50 to a 65, 65 to a 75, 75 to an 82. And he’s up there in the 80s now, and now he’s gotta get to the 90s and get close to that a hundred if he wants to be a pro. And he’s gotten more and more mature. And even now, like we’re talking about, he’s starting to show some leadership now, getting on other guys in drills who are not working hard…or trying to cheat a line in a running drill or cheat out in a passing drill. It’s refreshing to see the growth he’s made. And yet, the maturity that he recognizes that he still has a ‘X’ percent to go to get where he really wants to be.”

On Boyle’s impression on Maryland under Willard

“Obviously the conference you guys are in and the fan base, you guys have good basketball fans. I’m sure it’s always appealing to kids. Coach Willard, I know when he has the pieces, he’s gonna be good. He was really good at Seton Hall, was a tough place to recruit and limited things. And sometimes it’s just getting that over the hump and then it gets you going and you’re off and running. You know what I mean? So hopefully we just can help Maryland and coach get over the hump and I know once he gets it to a certain point, I’m confident coach will keep it there where they’re really high and get to that top ten level and stay there. And I think coach definitely has the ability to do that. Just needs to be able to get the player. Sometimes it’s that first piece and other ones follow.”

Montverde Academy HC Kevin Boyle on Derik Queen’s commitment, skillset and development

Ahmed Ghafir