This season hasn’t gone as well as Maryland hoped, but better days may be on the horizon. The Terrapins’ men’s basketball program got a huge recruiting win on Wednesday. Five-star center Derik Queen committed to Maryland.
The 6-foot-10 Queen is a Baltimore native. He started his high school career at St. Francis Academy before transferring to Montverde Academy. He has risen to national prominence, highlighted by a USA U18 National Team invite as a 17-year-old.
Derik Queen is the highest-ranked recruit for Maryland since Jaylen Smith. Queen is a top-15 player, according to the On3 Sports Industry Ranking. He is ranked as high as 10th by ESPN.
What makes Derik Queen highly touted
Queen possesses a versatile skill set. He has smooth feet and can finish at the rim from various areas. He understands the pick-and-roll concept, setting screens, and rolling to the basket. His handles are solid to beat other bigs off the dribble.
Queen has a textbook release on his mid-range jumper. He exhibits good ball placement on his drives to the basket. He also crashes the boards and is a force on the offensive glass.
Queen told On3.com’s Joe Tipton that his relationship with Kevin Willard and the Maryland staff traces back to his 10th-grade year. He chose the Terps over Indiana, Kansas, and Houston.
Willard and the Maryland staff hopefully will focus on Queen’s areas of improvement during his time in College Park. Queen is a post-player that lacks elite athleticism. Also, Queen can improve his handles away from the post area.
At 6-foot-9, he must showcase the ability to defend and hold off perimeter players. His dribble is too high to beat smaller defenders. However, the fact he doesn’t lean on overpowering defenders in the paint and uses his feet laminates his potential.
There’s an argument that Maryland is one of the more disappointing teams in the nation this season. After reaching the NCAA Tournament in his first year, Kevin Willard has struggled to duplicate the same success despite the returns of Jahmir Young, Donta Scott, and Julian Reese.
Maryland realistically needs a March run to a Big Ten tournament title to reach the Big Dance this year. The Terrapins are 14-13 overall with a 6-10 conference record. Willard will seek to get Maryland back on track next year. Winning the recruiting trail goes a long way, and landing Queen is a great start.
Queen is the second Maryland commit for the class of 2024. Three-star shooting guard Malachi Palmer of Mt. Zion Baptist Christian School (PA) committed to the Terps in January.
