It’s been a historic freshman season for Maryland basketball freshman Derik Queen. After joining Joe Smith and Melo Trimble as the lone freshmen Terps to eclipse 500 single-season points, Queen became the third-ever in program history to win conference freshman of the year after leading the scoring averaging just over 16 points per game. On Friday, Queen will have a chance to become the third freshman ever to record at least single-season 300 rebounds, sitting three shy away from the feat, as he looks to anchor Maryland into a hopeful March run. The Baltimore native has lived up to his high school description as one of the best freshmen in the country, providing the immediate impact spark in the frontcourt that complements veteran forward Julian Reese.
Now, after being tabbed as the third-best player in the NCAA Tournament by Andy Katz, Queen is ready to suit up in his first tournament game and build on his 2025 NBA Draft lottery profile. And for Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew, containing the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year is a priority.
“The more you watch, the worse it gets when you're the opposing coach,” Drew told reporters on Thursday. “You watch a couple clips and you think okay, well, maybe we can try this or do this, the more film you watch. Well, they tried it and didn't work. They tried it and didn't work. So he's just an excellent player, that's why he's a lottery pick. He has great feet, he has great hands he has great feel. He sets great screens. Looks like a great teammate out there. So I don't know if he's the type of player that you stop, he's just that talented and that good, but obviously we're going to do our best and throw some different things and do the best that we can on him.”
Willard reflected on how he’s grown as a coach working with Queen through the season.
“Actually the way I looked at it, people ask me if there was a lot of pressure at the beginning of the year having a guy like Derik, and I looked at it completely different. It's been so much fun to coach a guy like that. He's so good, he's so engaged, he's a great teammate. He makes going into the game a game plan where you know you have a guy like that that you can do different things. I think yeah, obviously we're only going to have him for about eight months, but I've had so much fun coaching him and I think from looking at it from, there's pressure to how will I do with a McDonald's All-American to a guy that was maybe draftable, not draftable, to now probably being a top-five pick. I've had a lot of fun and I think he's had a lot of fun.”
Related Links
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube