Montverde's Derik Queen commits to Maryland
With three simple words, Montverde Academy 5-Star basketball recruit, and McDonald's All-American Derik Queen made college basketball fans in his home state of Maryland extremely happy, Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm coming home," was the headline on Queen's recruiting edit, posted to X, announcing he would return to his home state and play his college basketball at the University of Maryland.
Queen a native of Baltimore has been on the radar of college recruiters since his freshman year of high school when the 6-foot-10, 245-pound post player outclassed many local stars as a ninth-grader at St. Frances Academy. Queen averaged 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game as a ninth-grader, during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, and led the Panthers to a 12-0 regular season record and a spot in the Baltimore Catholic League championship game.
Queen captured a slew of local and national honors, including National Freshman of the Year, and started receiving offers from college basketball powers from across the country. An invitation to join Florida high school powerhouse Montverde Academy, the No. 1 team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 Boys National Basketball Rankings, followed and Queen has flourished on the national stage ever since, helping lead the Eagles to an undefeated record this season.
In 2023-24 Montverde is 29-0 and Queen is leading the team with 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Queen selected Maryland from a group of finalists that included Houston, Kansas and Indiana. He will add size and power to a Maryland squad which is struggling through a 14-13 season under second year head coach Kevin Willard.
Rated among the country's top 15 players by most rating services, Queen becomes the Terps' highest rated recruit since they landed Diamond Stone in 2015. He is also the first 5-Star recruit to select the Maryland basketball program since former Mount St. Joseph player Jalen Smith, now in the NBA, chose the Terps in 2018.
