Derik Queen Had Comically Simple Reason He and Maryland Teammates Listen to Kevin Willard

That’s what the money is for.

Derik Queen answers questions after Maryland’s win over Colorado State. / @W_Brown21 / X

No. 4 Maryland was able to hold off No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday night thanks to a dramatic buzzer beater from Terrapins center Derik Queen.

After the game, Queen had high praise for his teammates and his coach, and was clearly hyped to be heading to the Sweet 16 next weekend.

When asked what it was about Maryland head coach Kevin Willard that helped keep the team together, Queen kept it hilariously simple.

“First, he did pay us the money,” Queen said, sparking laughs from the crowd. “So we’ve gotta listen to him.”

Derik Queen on why Kevin Willard is a head coach players can listen to:

"First, he did pay us the money..." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0rcVJiKydx

— Wesley Brown (@W_Brown21) March 24, 2025

Queen quickly followed his somewhat joking answer with a sincere appreciation of his head coach.

“We all trust him,” Queen said. “He wants nothing but the best for us. He coaches hard. He talks to us [about things] other than basketball. He’s just always there, and just wants us to win.”

Willard, Queen and the rest of the Terps will continue their run through March Madness on Thursday with a matchup against No. 1 Florida in the Sweet 16.

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