Star Maryland basketball freshman Derik Queen declares for 2025 NBA Draft

What’s been expected for months has now become official after Derik Queen announced he’s declared for the 2025 NBA Draft with alum Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter.

Queen, a prized five-star signee originally from Baltimore, has a chance to become the program’s highest draft pick in 12 years after leading a star-studded starting five after averaging a near double-double with 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

After becoming a longtime priority target by the former Maryland staff, Queen pulled the trigger on his commitment to Maryland over Indiana, Houston and Kansas among a long list of others, and it didn’t take long for Queen to dazzle in a Maryland uniform.

The prized signee dazzled with 22 points and 20 rebounds in his college debut, becoming just the second player in 30 years to post a 20-20 in his debut and the first Terp to post a 20-20 game since Joe Smith did so back in 1995.

His 26 points at Purdue and 25 points at Illinois mark the third and fourth-most points by a Maryland true freshman on the road, while his 11 20-point games mark the second most by a freshman in program history behind Joe Smith (15). The highlights week in and week out made him the head of the Terps’ balanced scoring, ultimately becoming the first Terp to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week five teams in one season.

Queen ended his season tabbed as both a Big Ten first-team and Freshman of the Year selection, becoming the first since Melo Trimble to make the All-Big Ten First Team and the first since Joe Smith to win Rookie/Freshman of the Year. He also became the first player in program history named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after averaging 25 points and 6.5 rebounds across two games.

Queen’s 12 point and 15 rebound performance in the NCAA Tournament win vs. Grand Canyon made him the first Maryland freshman to record a double-double since Jalen Smith in 2019. His 15 rebounds marked the most in an NCAA Tournament game since Jordan Williams recorded 17 back in 2010.

Queen then went on to cement one of the best moments in the 2025 NCAA Tournament after his fading bank shot as time expired not only lifted Maryland into the Sweet 16, but led the national media and others like LeBron James to chime in on the Baltimore star.

He also set the all-time freshman scoring record in his final game in a Maryland uniform with his 27-point performance, pushing him to 594 points in the season to pass Joe Smith’s 582 points back in 1993-94. He also tied Buck Williams for the single-season freshman record with 323 rebounds, cementing his season as one of the best in the 2000s.

Queen joined Julian Reese, Allie Kubek and Shy Sellers at Camden Yards to throw out the opening pitch ahead of opening day, days before putting a bow on his college career.

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