Maryland center Derik Queen is leaving college basketball after his freshman season and will declare for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Queen, 6-foot-10, made the announcement during an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt (a Maryland alum) on Friday night.
In his lone college season, Queen averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds, leading the Terrapins to a 27-9 record (14-6 in the Big Ten) and No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament East region. Maryland advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Grand Canyon and Colorado State before falling to No. 1 Florida in the regional final.
Queen finished off the win over Colorado State with arguably the most exciting moment of the 2025 tournament, driving from the top of the 3-point arc to the baseline for a buzzer-beater off the glass and a 72-71 victory.
DERIK QUEEN FTW 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025
OH MY GOODNESS 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/06QRH6eK3R
He grabbed 15 rebounds in the win over Grand Canyon and scored 27 points with five rebounds and two steals versus Florida.
Coach Kevin Willard left Maryland for Villanova after the Terps' season concluded and there were rumblings that Queen might go with him to the Philadelphia area. However, going to the NBA was the far more likely outcome.
"Once the season progressed and we got to the middle of the season, the end of the season, I felt like I was ready for it," Queen told Van Pelt.
In his latest NBA mock draft, Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor projects Queen as the No. 6 selection, going to the Brooklyn Nets as "a burly big with guard-like handles who dazzles with spin moves and crafty finishes."
"His interior scoring, playmaking chops and magnetic rebounding alone give him tantalizing potential," O'Connor added.
