COLLEGE PARK, MD – After being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and leading the Maryland basketball team in scoring, center Derik Queen was named to the 2025 AP All-America Honorable Mention team.
 
He is the first Terp to earn AP All-America honors since Jalen Smith was named to the third team in 2020. He is also the first freshman since Joe Smith in 1993-94 to earn All-America honors.
 
Queen headlined Maryland's postseason honors as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, a selection to the All-Big Ten First Team, a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and the first Terp to be named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. He is a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year and was on the watch list throughout the season for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Award.
 
He enters the NCAA Tournament with the second-highest scoring average all-time among Maryland freshmen (16.3 ppg) and leads the nation in double-doubles (14) by freshmen. He averaged 25.0 points in a pair of Big Ten Tournament games highlighted by 31 points against #22 Michigan in the semifinals. His 16.3 points per game are sixth-best nationally among Power Conference freshmen.
 
The five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week had several standout performances throughout the season. He opened the year with 22 points and 20 rebounds for his collegiate debut making him just the second player since 1996-97 to post 20/20 in their freshman debut. He had a 26-point effort and a 25-point game on the road at both No. 8 Purdue and No. 11 Illinois, respectively. His 29-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist game against Rutgers in front of 47 NBA scouts and executives marked the first time in 23 years for a college player to produce such a stat line.