2024 marks PressBox’s eighth annual Best Of edition celebrating the top people, performances and moments of the year.
Best Immediate Impact
Maryland men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard began recruiting Derik Queen right after he got the job in March 2022. The coach didn’t land the 6-foot-10 center’s commitment until February 2024, but it didn’t take long for the pursuit to pay off.
Queen scored 22 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in a season-opening victory against Manhattan in early November, becoming the first Terp to record a 20-20 game since Joe Smith in 1995.
Then he secured Big Ten Player of the Week honors later in the month following a 22-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist performance in a win against Villanova. Not a bad way to start a career.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
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Plus: Check out PressBox’s 2024 Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year, Lamar Jackson.
