Five-Star Center Derik Queen Considering Four Schools
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Derik Queen has officially narrowed his college choices to four: Kansas, Maryland, Houston and Indiana, as first reported Friday afternoon by On3's Joe Tipton.
The 6-foot-10 center is a consensus five-star recruit and attends Montverde Academy in Florida. He's ranked No. 15 by the ESPN Top 100 and Rivals, No. 17 by 247 Sports and No. 21 by On3. All recruiting sites consider him between the second and fourth-best center in his class.
Maryland currently does not have any commitments in the class of 2024, but Queen has long been a priority target for coach Kevin Willard. Originally from Baltimore, Queen was teammates with current Terrapins Julian Reese and Jahnathan Lamothe at St. Frances Academy before transferring to Montverde. Two predictions from 247 Sports were cast in February for Queen to attend Maryland. Queen took his final official visit to Maryland last weekend.
Indiana is hoping a similar dynamic can help land Queen. Coach Mike Woodson recently picked up a commitment from five-star small forward Liam McNeeley, who's teammates with Queen at Montverde. The two took official visits to Indiana together during their junior and senior years of high school, and McNeeley has been vocal in his recruitment of Queen. After missing out on five-star point guard Boogie Fland, Queen appears to be Indiana's top remaining recruiting target in the class of 2024.
Kansas hosted an official visit for Queen in September, along with McNeeley. Coach Bill Self previously landed class of 2024 center Flory Bidunga, as well as four-star guards Labaron Philon and Rakease Passmore. Bidunga is ranked as the No. 1 center in the nation in his class, followed by Queen at No. 3, per the 247 Sports Composite. Whether Queen picks Kansas could also depend on if current Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson decides to play a fifth year of college basketball in 2024-25, potentially creating somewhat of a front court logjam with himself, Bidunga and Queen.
Houston was the final school to offer a scholarship to Queen, doing so on April 24, 2023, which is impressive from coach Kelvin Sampson's standpoint. Houston has a pair of four-star guards committed in the class of 2024 – Chase McCarty and Mercy Miller – making the front court an area of need. Queen visited Houston in October.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- MGBAKO PLAYING SUNDAY: Indiana coach Mike Woodson said freshman Mackenzie Mgbako will play in Sunday's exhibition game against the University of Indianapolis. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA INJURY UPDATES: Heading into Sunday's exhibition game against the University of Indianapolis, Indiana coach Mike Woodson addressed the health of Jakai Newton, Kaleb Banks, Kel'el Ware and Anthony Walker. CLICK HERE
- HOOSIER HYSTERIA STANDOUT MOMENTS: Indiana basketball season is right around the corner, as Hoosier Hysteria took place Friday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Here are four standout moments, including impressive 3-point shooting performances from Gabe Cupps and Yarden Garzon, a three-quarter-court heave from Anthony Leal, and a potentially promising sign from Jakai Newton's injury recovery. CLICK HERE
- BOOGIE FLAND PICKS KENTUCKY: Indiana coach Mike Woodson missed out on one of his last remaining recruiting targets in the class of 2024 on Friday, when five-star guard Boogie Fland committed to Kentucky. Though Indiana has few recruiting options left, Woodson has roster flexibility with the transfer portal. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA LANDS LIAM MCNEELEY: With small forward Liam McNeeley picking Indiana over Kansas on Sunday, coach Mike Woodson has now landed five-star recruits in three consecutive classes: McNeeley, Mackenzie Mgbako and Jalen Hood-Schifino. CLICK HERE
