Derik Queen, known as ‘Baby Jokic,’ shines in March Madness

Derik Queen’s teammates at Maryland call him “Baby Jokic.”

Although Queen is a very skilled big man, he’s still young at heart, always joking around with a big smile that shows his braces.

The Big Ten Freshman of the Year helped Maryland reach the Sweet 16 with a last-second, off-balance fadeaway shot against Colorado State, which gave the Terrapins a 72-71 victory.

Next, the fourth-seeded Terps will play No. 1 Florida in San Francisco in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think everyone calls him Baby Jokic because he plays in the low post and gets everyone involved,” said teammate DeShawn Harris-Smith. “He’s my roommate and probably my closest friend on the team, so I love playing with him and being part of his journey.”

Standing 6-foot-10 and weighing 250 pounds, Queen is the key player for Maryland’s starting lineup, known as the “Crab Five,” a reference to the famous Michigan Fab Five from the early 1990s and Maryland’s well-known food.

The Crab Five has started every game for the Terps since Nov. 19, with all of them averaging in double figures heading into the tournament.

Queen’s teammates all mention how much he enjoys the game and life in general.

“He just has such a great energy about him,” said Terps coach Kevin Willard. “When you’re around him, you’re going to smile, laugh, and hug him.”

In the win against the Rams, Queen scored 17 points, Rodney Rice had 16, and Julian Reese contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds, with each of Maryland’s starters scoring in double figures. The bench scored only two points.

Queen proudly shared that the game-winning shot against the Rams was his first

Willard said that during a timeout, he asked who wanted the ball for the final play, and Queen was the obvious choice.

“It was just a simple zipper, give him the ball, and let him go to work,” Willard said.

After being swarmed by his teammates in celebration, Queen was asked by a reporter where his confidence came from. “Well, I think I’m from Baltimore, that’s why,” he said.

Queen is indeed proud of his Baltimore roots. After impressing as a freshman at St. Frances Academy, he moved to Florida to play for the well-known Montverde Academy.

But he returned to Maryland to play for Willard. Throughout the season, Queen has averaged 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds.

“A lot of people don’t really make it out of Baltimore, and I just wanted to come here and make a change,” Queen said. “And hopefully, I did make a change, so Coach Willard can keep getting a lot of local kids.”

It’s still too early to know if Queen will make the jump to the NBA, as he’s focused on the tournament, but his game-winning shot against the Rams certainly increased his chances, even as a potential lottery pick.

For now, Queen is focused on Florida, which won 77-75 against UConn on Sunday, ending the Huskies’ pursuit of a third straight title.

Florida (32-4) reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. The Terps (27-8) haven’t been this far in the tournament since 2016.

There are many reasons why people compare the 20-year-old Queen to Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, such as his passing, ball control, defense, and ability to make shots from everywhere on the court.

So the nickname wasn’t far off, and it was confirmed when WNBA star Angel Reese, the sister of Maryland’s Julian Reese, posted on social media: “Derik is literally baby Jokic omg.”

And it turns out that Queen can also make game-winning shots.

“When he said he wanted the ball and the way he said it, I knew something good was going to happen because good things happen to great people,” Willard said. “And he is a great, great person.”