Maryland basketball center Derik Queen named finalist for Center of the Year Award
Maryland men's basketball starting center Derik Queen was one of five players named as a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. The star freshman will battle it out with Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Vlad Goldin (Michigan), Nate Bittle (Oregon), and Maxime Raynaud (Stanford).
The former five-star recruit has been on a tear and has helped lead Maryland to an impressive 23-7 record. Queen leads the team averaging 15.9 points and is second on the team grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game. The Terrapins have been going through Queen and he hasn't disappointed. After a sluggish start to his freshman campaign, the Maryland native has shown he's one of the best centers in the country.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞! 5️⃣
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) March 7, 2025
DQ is one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award
You can read the full press release below:
COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Maryland men's basketball center Derik Queen has been named a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award. Queen is one of five student-athletes selected as finalists for the award. He is the first Terp to be named a finalist for the award since Bruno Fernando in 2019.
Queen leads the Terps in points averaging 15.9 per game and second on the team in rebounds with 9.1. His 9.1 rebounds per game mark is the fourth-best in the Big Ten. Queen scored a season-high 29 points against Rutgers on Feb. 9, and has scored 20 points or more in 10 games this season. Queen has scored 478 points this season, which ranks as the third-most for a freshman in program history. Queen has finished with double figure rebounds in 14 games, and is second on the team with 12 double-doubles. Queen is one of only two Division I players ranking in the top two on his team in points, total rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Queen is on pace to be the second Maryland player this century to be top two in each category in a single season, with the other being Aaron Wiggins during the 2020-21 season.
In late March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where the winner will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The annual Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, named after the Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion, celebrates its 11th year by honoring the top centers in Division I men's college basketball. Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023-24), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016), and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
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Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Senior Writer for Michigan Wolverines On SI for the 2024 football season. Trent is also the managing editor for Maryland On SI. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
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