Tag: Maryland

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

Maryland players celebrates after the win

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.

Derik Queen celebrates with the team after the win

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.”

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Top freshmen shine as Rutgers faces No. 18 Maryland in College Park

Rutgers and Illinois

If you’re looking to meet an NBA scout this weekend, head to College Park, Md.

That’s where over 30 recruiters are expected to be when Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and Rutgers visit star freshman Derik Queen and No. 18 Maryland on Sunday afternoon.

All three players are expected to be first-round picks in this summer’s NBA draft. Guards Bailey and Harper are both top-five prospects, while Queen is projected to be selected later in the first round by a team needing a top-tier big man.

The Scarlet Knights have leaned on their two standout freshmen throughout a mixed season.

Bailey leads the team with 20.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, while Harper leads Rutgers with 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Harper also averages 19.1 points per game, the second-highest on the team, with no other player scoring more than 7.2 points per game.

Despite Bailey and Harper’s strong performances, Rutgers (12-11, 5-7 Big Ten) has struggled to get consistent wins in its effort to return to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64 for the first time in four years.

The Scarlet Knights have only had back-to-back wins twice since starting the season 4-0, and Harper’s struggles with the flu and an ankle injury in January didn’t help.

However, Rutgers has shown it can be dangerous when both Harper and Bailey are healthy.

Harper returned from a two-game absence to score 28 points, grab six rebounds, dish out five assists, and steal four balls, while Bailey added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Scarlet Knights’ 82-73 victory over No. 23 Illinois on Wednesday.

This was Rutgers’ first win against a ranked team this season and strengthened the chemistry between its two star players.

“It opens a lot for me,” Bailey said about having Harper back. “I don’t have to worry about two or three people trying to box me out at the same time because they have to worry about D-Harp attacking. … And that opens up a lot more for our teammates.”

Maryland and No. 17 Wisconsin

Another win over a ranked opponent on Sunday could end the Terrapins’ brief stay in the Top 25.

Maryland (17-6, 7-5) moved into the rankings for the first time in nearly two years after winning six of seven games, but they followed that up with a 73-70 loss at Ohio State, after blowing a 17-point lead on Thursday.

Queen, who leads the team with 15 points per game, attempted just seven shots from the field and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while fellow big man Julian Reese (14.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) contributed 24 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Maryland struggled to contain the Buckeyes’ guards.

The Terrapins did well limiting John Mobley Jr. to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, but allowed Micah Parrish to score 13 on 5-of-9 shooting. Bruce Thornton did the most damage, hitting 11 of 18 shots, including the game-winning 3-pointer, finishing with a game-high 31 points.

Thornton’s strong performance could be concerning for Maryland with the upcoming matchup against Harper and Bailey, but the Terrapins aren’t too worried about defending a team’s top backcourt players.

“I thought we did a really good job for the most part (defending Thornton),” said Maryland coach Kevin Willard. “Even when he made a couple of tough twos, we were OK with that. … I thought our defense at the end was really good. We switched out. We covered everything.”

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Maryland’s rough Big Ten beginning is behind them. Now, the 18th-ranked Terps are on a hot streak in College Park

Kevin Willard points to his bench in the 1st half

Kevin Willard stayed calm when Maryland struggled early in the Big Ten season. His goal was for the Terrapins to be in a strong position as February approached.

They’ve done just that.

Maryland enters Thursday’s game against Ohio State and Sunday’s matchup with Rutgers with its first Top 25 ranking in nearly two years. The 18th-ranked Terps have won four consecutive games and six of their last seven, bouncing back from a tough 1-3 start to league play, which included two losses to teams in the far western part of the Big Ten.

“They could’ve let a lot of negativity affect them,” Willard said after Wednesday’s win against No. 17 Wisconsin. “Their attitude has been just phenomenal. I think that’s the biggest thing, is that they’ve been really resilient throughout the first part of this conference schedule.”

Maryland (17-5, 7-4) has been strong on both offense and defense. As of Monday, KenPom ranked the Terps among the top 25 teams nationally in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Maryland is averaging 119.0 points per 100 possessions (21st) and allowing 95.1 (23rd).

The Terps also rank second in KenPom for blocking 5.4% of opponents’ 2-point shots and third in steals with 6.9% of opponents’ possessions.

The most impressive victory of the current stretch was a 91-70 win at then-No. 17 Illinois on Jan. 23. Maryland scored 53 points in the second half and posted their best road performance against a ranked team since January 2002, a season that ended with an NCAA title.

This current streak has put Maryland back in the Top 25 for the first time since spending a week at No. 21 in February 2023. Forward Julian Reese summed it up after the win over Wisconsin: “just trying to play our best brand of basketball.”

“I think the biggest thing was just getting through January,” Willard said. “I knew January was going to be hard with the (cross-country travel). I think the biggest thing is we’re getting a nice week here, a bye week, and just getting these guys refreshed mentally going into… what you want to be a fun February.”

Selton Miguel celebrates in the 1st half

Second-ranked Duke has had little trouble so far, staying unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Blue Devils’ toughest test for going unbeaten in league play since 1999 could come this week on the road.

Duke (19-2, 11-0) faces Syracuse (10-12, 4-7) on Wednesday before traveling to Clemson (18-4, 10-1), which has won six straight and nine of its last ten games.

Duke, with the nation’s longest active win streak at 15 games, could become the first team to go 20-0 in ACC regular-season play. The last team to go unbeaten in the league was Duke in 1998-99 at 16-0.

No. 12 St. John’s reached its highest ranking since 1999-2000, but Rick Pitino’s Red Storm face a tough week ahead.

St. John’s (19-3, 10-1 Big East) will host No. 11 Marquette on Tuesday and then visit No. 19 UConn, the two-time defending national champion, on Friday.

The Southeastern Conference is filled with ranked matchups this season, with at least nine of its teams in the poll for seven straight weeks.

The biggest game of the week comes Saturday, with No. 1 Auburn hosting No. 6 Florida. No. 15 Missouri faces two challenges: traveling to No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday and hosting No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday.

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Maryland continues its strong play, defeating No. 17 Wisconsin 76-68 in College Park

Maryland and No. 17 Wisconsin

Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had five assists to lead Maryland to a 76-68 win over No. 17 Wisconsin on Wednesday in College Park, Md.

Rodney Rice also added 16 points, and Selton Miguel contributed 12 points with four 3-pointers, helping Maryland (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) continue their winning streak to four games.

Julian Reese scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Derik Queen finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, helping Maryland defeat a Wisconsin team that had won eight of its last nine games.

Both teams came into the game as top 20 teams in offensive efficiency (according to KenPom.com), but the game turned into a defensive battle until Maryland heated up midway through the second half.

Maryland found success with 3-point shooting, hitting 12 of 24 (50 percent) from beyond the arc, even though they made just 40 percent of their shots overall.

John Tonje led Wisconsin (16-5, 6-4) with 23 points and six rebounds, but the Badgers struggled offensively, shooting only 37.3 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent (9 of 27) from 3-point range.

While Tonje made 5 of 8 from 3-point range, his teammates only managed to hit 4 of 19.

No. 5 Marquette and No. 11 Wisconsin

Maryland was down 48-43 with 11 minutes left but went on an 11-point run, with 3-pointers from Rice, Gillespie, and DeShawn Harris-Smith, to take a 54-48 lead, which they held onto for the rest of the game.

Steven Crowl, who finished with 10 points, scored a three-point play with 6:24 remaining, and Nolan Winter added a layup to pull Wisconsin to within 57-56. However, Gillespie responded with a jumper, and Reese followed with a three-point play to help Maryland regain control.

Wisconsin led for most of the first half, going up by as much as 23-16 when Winter scored five straight points. But in the final five minutes of the half, Rice, Miguel, and Tafara Gapare hit 3-pointers, allowing Maryland to take a 32-31 lead at halftime.

Much of Maryland’s run came when Wisconsin’s top scorers, Tonje and John Blackwell, were on the bench with two fouls each. Blackwell, who didn’t score in the first half, finished with 10 points after the break. His 3-pointer helped Wisconsin go on a 9-0 run early in the second half, putting them up 42-36 before Maryland took control of the game.