As NBA beckons, Maryland freshman Derik Queen looks ‘like a 15-year vet’

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When Maryland center Derik Queen and Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper and shooting guard Ace Bailey met Feb. 9, there was more than a little friendly competition at stake for Queen.

“Them two are my guys,” said Queen, a Baltimore resident. “Obviously, we’re all in the race [for Big Ten] Freshman of the Year. But on the court, it’s competitive. I just wanted to set myself aside and just let them know that I want Freshman of the Year.”

Before an audience of scouts from at least 12 NBA teams, the 6-foot-10, 246-pound Queen stole the show from the 6-6, 215-pound Harper and the 6-10, 210-pound Bailey. Queen scored a career-high 29 points and added 15 rebounds and five assists to power the No. 25 Terps to a 90-81 victory over the Scarlet Knights and become the first player in the Big Ten to amass 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game this winter.

Harper, the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and younger brother of Detroit Pistons small forward Ron Harper Jr., amassed 20 points, four assists and four rebounds. Bailey managed only four points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and three turnovers while battling the flu.

Queen might have won that battle, but whether he won the war remains to be seen. In the race for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Queen’s primary competitors are Harper, Bailey and point guard Kasparas Jakučionis of Illinois. And others such as point guard John Mobley Jr. of Ohio State, shooting guard Wesley Yates III of USC and shooting guard Jase Richardson of Michigan State loom as candidates.

Queen, Bailey, Harper and Jakučionis are considered the frontrunners for the conference award. All four are projected first-round picks in June’s NBA draft with Bailey and Harper jockeying behind Duke power forward Cooper Flagg as the next-best prospect, Jakučionis regarded as a top-10 pick, and Queen expected to go somewhere in the middle of the round.

Here’s a look at the top Big Ten freshmen by the numbers entering Friday:

•Queen:…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-beckons-maryland-freshman-derik-193800990.html

Author : Baltimore Sun

Publish date : 2025-02-14 19:38:00

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