The commitment of Derik Queen, a consensus five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida, may be just what the Maryland men’s basketball needs to lay the groundwork for greater success in the years to come.
Queen, a Baltimore native, committed to Maryland on Feb. 21, choosing his hometown Terrapins over Kansas, Houston and Indiana. Montverde coach Kevin Boyle and longtime ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi joined Glenn Clark Radio following Queen’s commitment, saying the center will help the program as a player and as a person.
“He’s charismatic. He’s a guy that is great on a talk show if you get him on,” Boyle said. “He’s funny. He knows how to engage with 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 really, I’m going to miss him when he leaves. He’s been one of my favorite guys in 35 years as a personality, not just the player, to be around.”
Biancardi shared a similar sentiment about Queen, who popped up on the recruiting radar several years ago.
“He came on my board very early as a sophomore,” Biancardi said. “He was top-three sophomore in the class — ranked nationally as a sophomore. Sometimes when rankings happen at a young age, kids, parents, coaches have a hard time handling the expectations and keeping perspective, and Derik Queen just kept working at it.”
Biancardi believes Queen’s work ethic is his greatest strength, believing that the center’s dedication and perseverance led him to becoming better as a player — a promising sign not just for Maryland, but Queen’s future overall.
“He didn’t listen to the voices of negativity that surrounded him over the years. And he kept his ranking range, which is really hard to do,” Biancardi said. “He started as No. 3 and he’s right now No. 10 in the country in my poll and my rankings board. That means he put a lot of work into the offseason. He put a lot of work into his high school year. That means he’s coachable, competitive. He’s got all the great attributes, I think, to be an excellent player in Maryland.”
Boyle believes that Queen will continue to grow given what he’s seen out of the young man at his tenure at Montverde, a prep school in the Orlando area. While Boyle thinks Queen still has ways to go before becoming an elite player, the coach believes Queen can make that transition at Maryland under the tutelage of head coach Kevin Willard.
Boyle, a native of New Jersey, is very familiar with Willard, the former Seton Hall coach. Boyle is excited by what Queen has the potential to become in Willard’s system at Maryland.
“I think [Willard will] be a good match for Derik,” Boyle said. “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 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 going to have a terrific, terrific player next year that’s going to really help Maryland.”
Biancardi compared Queen’s style of play to that of star NBA big man Nikola Jokić, saying that Queen’s passing ability will be his greatest strength on the floor. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound center is averaging 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for Montverde this season.
“When you look at him as a player, he’s a low-post, back-to-the-basket big man who’s a legitimate one-on-one threat,” Biancardi said. “So, if you want to throw the ball inside and get a bucket, Derik Queen can do that for you. He does it naturally. And what makes him special is that he can pass out of a double team. He can hit a cutter. He understands the skip pass on the weak side. He’s a great teammate. Everyone’s going to love playing with him.”
Boyle and Biancardi believe that Queen will help lay the foundation for Maryland’s future success in terms of recruiting, building a new identity for the future. Even with exiting players like Jahmir Young moving on and the uncertainty created across college basketball by the transfer portal, Queen’s commitment offers the program some hope.
Queen can bring enhanced scoring and playmaking capabilities to Maryland and present all kinds of trouble for opposing teams in terms of size when combined with rising senior big man Julian Reese. Combine that with Queen’s desire for growth, and there’s no telling where the big man can take Maryland.
“Great recruiting gives you hope and excitement for the future. And that’s what Derik Queen will give the Terps,” Biancardi said. “That’s important, along with returning players. What do those players in the offseason? How much do they improve? Who comes back? There’s a lot of factors on how a team’s going to be … because they have pieces that have transferred in that haven’t played with their guys yet. But Derik Queen enhances the profile of the program and he’ll attract other good players to play at Maryland.”
For more from Boyle, listen to the full interview here:
For more from Biancardi, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Montverde Academy Staff Photographer Kimberly Braden