How star freshman Derik Queen helped lead the resurgence of Maryland Basketball

The Terrapins are back to being in the conversation come March again, and a lot of that has to do with the play of their star freshman.

After reaching the NCAA Tournament back in 2023, the Maryland Terrapins admittedly had a rough season last year, sliding back to a 15-16 regular season record, including going 7-13 in conference play.

Star Jahmir Young was in his final season, but apart from forward Julian Reese, there wasn’t much help to complement the point guard, as Maryland scored just 69 points per game and was a bottom-four team in the Big Ten.

Questions started to arise about head coach Kevin Willard, who had seen a significant slide from his inaugural season at Maryland, where the Terrapins went 22-13 and reached the Round of 32 as a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Fast-forward one year, however, and the Terrapins are right back in the national mix, as they’re currently the No. 20 team in the country, according to the AP Top 25, with room to grow before the regular season ends.

Currently, Maryland is projected to have their best finish since the 2019-20 season, when they ranked as high as No. 3 in the AP Top 25 and ended with a 24-7 record, including 14-6 in conference play.

How did they make such a quick turnaround, despite losing their best player from a season ago?

Insert in star freshman center Derik Queen, who has exploded onto the scene in his first year at Maryland, averaging 15.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 55 percent from the field.

Queen, a five-star recruit from Baltimore, was one of the most-heralded recruits in Maryland history, ranking as their second-highest-ever signee behind Diamond Stone in the 2015 class, according to 247Sports.

Still, coming in with lofty expectations, there were questions about how Maryland’s team would shape out, as they were ranked to finish 10th in the Big Ten preseason media poll.

Queen was coming in to pair with Reese, but both players were paint-dominant big men who hadn’t really developed an outside shot. Then came the fact that Maryland was only returning three pieces from last year’s rotation: Reese, DeShawn Harris-Smith, and Jordan Geronimo.

Nonetheless, Queen and the Terrapins have been one of the best teams in the country this season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten with notable wins over Wisconsin, Illinois, and UCLA. Maryland is currently a top-15 NET team with five Quad 1 wins, and they’ve been 16-1 at home this season.

A big part of that success has come from Queen, who has become a dominant force in the Big Ten as a freshman. Queen’s 9.1 rebounds per game rank fourth in the conference behind Michigan’s Danny Wolf, Indiana’s Oumar Ballo, and, coincidentally, his own teammate Julian Reese.

The dynamic frontcourt duo has made Maryland one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, as they average 37.3 rebounds as a group, which is fourth in the Big Ten.

After averaging under 70 points per game last season, Maryland has been one of the best offenses in the country, scoring 83.7 points per game, while limiting opponents to 67.3 points per game. That has led to them being a top-20 offensive and defensive efficiency team, according to KenPom, with Queen being a strong defensive presence in the middle of the paint.

His athleticism has also helped Maryland play with a faster tempo in transition, as their offense has completely changed, ranking 302nd in pace a year ago before being a top-55 team in the country this year.

But, overall, the freshman has been a great complement to Maryland’s trio of quality guards: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel — all who average double figures and have good success shooting the three.

That has led to a strong complementary team overall, as each of the three guards have the ability to create their own shot, similar to the two bigs, while Queen has a knack for finding his teammates as well, averaging over two assists per game.

With the regular season coming closer to an end, Queen has really picked up his game, averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds per game over Maryland’s last four contests, which have all been wins. Queen has shot extremely efficiently in the process, hitting nearly 65 percent of his shots, while hitting free throws at a near-90 percent rate.

The Terrapins needed a turnaround and fast after their ugly 2023-24 season. Queen’s arrival has expedited the process and led Maryland back inside the top 25 with a chance to grow as the regular season comes to a close.

In a very strong freshman class, Queen has been one of the best first-year players in the country, taking over for his hometown team in a big way.