Baltimore Native Derik Queen Drafted by Hawks, Traded to Pelicans in 2025 NBA Draft

The former Montverde Academy star, who began is high school career at St. Frances Academy, becomes the 17th BCL-affiliated player to be selected in the NBA Draft

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Derik Queen arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Derik Queen Drafted No. 13, Traded to New Orleans

Baltimore native and University of Maryland men's basketball star Derik Queen was selected No. 13 overall by the Atlanta Hawks, then traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

Star Freshman Season at Maryland

Queen is coming off a stellar 2024-25 freshman season at Maryland where he averaged 16.5 points per game and nine rebounds per game. His biggest highlight came in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament where he hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to lift the Terrapins over Colorado State.

From Baltimore to Montverde to the NBA

In high school, Queen played his freshman season at St. Frances Academy (2020-21), where he helped lead the Panthers to a 15-1 overall record and the Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) Tournament championship game before transferring to Florida national power Montverde Academy for his final three seasons. At Montverde, Queen was part of the 2023-24 national championship team and he played alongside last night's No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg.

A Historic Pick for the BCL

With this pick, Queen becomes:

1. The 17th BCL-affiliated player to be selected in the NBA Draft, and the fourth who transferred before graduating from a BCL school.
2. The Maryland alum is also the third player from St. Frances to be selected (Mark Karcher, 2000, second round, No. 48 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, and Carlton "Bub" Carrington III, 2024, first round, No. 14 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers - rights traded to the Washington Wizards).
3. The 10th BCL player to be taken in the first round (last was Carrington in 2024), as BCL-affiliated players have now been selected five times in the last six NBA Drafts (2020-25).

BCL’s Draft Momentum Continues

The BCL now has first-round selections in each of the last three NBA Drafts, and five first-round selections beginning with the 2020 NBA Draft, including:

2020 – Immanuel Quickley (John Carroll) and Jalen Smith (Mount St. Joseph)

2023 – Cam Whitmore (Archbishop Spalding)

2024 – Carlton Carrington III (St. Frances)

2025 – Derik Queen (St. Frances/Montverde)