Giving Him The Ball

Maryland men’s basketball was in a familiar end-of-game situation in its NCAA Tournament second-round matchup against Colorado State. 

Still, not even Maryland’s last four heartbreaking losses in the final seconds could’ve prepared it for the imminent ensuing madness. The No. 4 seeded Terps retook the lead at 70-68 on a pair of Julian Reese free throws with 22 seconds remaining. The clutch points from the charity stripe were a glimmer of hope. They appeared to allow the Terps to break their consistent unfortunate luck in the final seconds of games. Most importantly, they seemed to have pushed them toward a berth in the Sweet 16. 

No. 12-seeded Colorado State had other plans. After a timeout, Jalen Lake drained a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to switch momentum and give the Rams a 71-70 advantage. Maryland frantically inbounded the ball and raced past half-court before taking a timeout of its own. There were just 3.7 seconds left in the game.

Head coach Kevin Willard drew up the final play. But leading a squad with a baker’s dozen players playing in just their second NCAA Tournament game left one essential question unanswered: Who would have the ball in their hands with the game on the line?   

There was no pushback from anyone when freshman big man Derik Queen demanded he be the one to take Maryland’s last shot.  

"I asked everybody, 'Who wants the ball?'" Willard said. "He said, 'Give me the MF ball.' And I said, 'All right, you're gettin' it.' I said, 'Don't mess around. Get after it and do it.'”

Queen caught the ball at the top of the key off the inbound pass before quickly spinning around and driving to his left. He took two dribbles, attacked the basket, and rose for a fadeaway jumper on the left block. The freshman kissed the basketball high off the glass. It went through the bottom of the net. The horn sounded, and Queen's teammates mobbed him to celebrate the win.

The bucket capped off a 72-71 win that advanced the Terps to their first Sweet 16 since 2016. Queen was rightfully celebrated as the hero. 

“We have all confidence in him,” Reese, Queen’s frontcourt teammate, said. “We knew where the ball was going to. We had to get the ball in his hands.”

The shot was a microcosm of Queen’s entire season thus far — one marked by unprecedented dominance for a program with a rich history of success. Queen will go down as one of the most outstanding freshmen to ever play for Maryland men’s basketball. 

“That was my first game-winner, and when Coach drew up the play, my teammates trusted me, he trusted me,” Queen said. “I was a little bit nervous, but I knew we were due for one, and I had to make this.”

The 6–foot-10, 246-pound freshman sensation from Baltimore is averaging 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game on 52.9% shooting. Those numbers have garnered him several awards this season. 

Queen was an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, becoming the first freshman in program history since Joe Smith in 1993-94 to earn All-America honors. He was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team by the coaches and the All-Big Ten Second Team by the media. 

In doing so, he was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He’s one of three Terps in history named conference freshman of the year. He was also the first Terp since Melo Trimble in 2014-15 to earn All-Big Ten First Team honors.

The big man even averaged 25 points and 6.5 rebounds in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal and Semifinal, allowing him to be named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. Queen was the first Terp in program history to earn Big Ten All-Tournament honors. He was the first Maryland player since Dez Wells in 2013 to earn all-tournament honors overall.

With such a resume in just 34 games played at the collegiate level, Willard trusted Queen — as he did all season — in one of the most significant moments of his coaching career. 

“He was the first one, and he was very enthusiastic about wanting the basketball,” Willard said. “I know he's only a freshman. I know this is a big stage. … Once he said that, it was a pretty simple decision.”

Queen is currently third on Maryland’s freshman scoring list with 567 points this season. He’s one point away from tying Trimble’s 2014-15 scoring output and nearing Smith’s record-holding 582 points during the 1993-94 season. 

The freshman is also third on Maryland’s freshman rebounding list with 318 boards. He’s four rebounds away from tying Smith’s 322 boards and in position to surpass Buck Williams’ program-record 323 rebounds in 1978-79. 

Queen's shot was greater than any award or statistic, which further cemented him as a Maryland legend. Queen came to Maryland to create moments like the one he manufactured on Sunday. But he represents something greater every time he puts on a Maryland jersey. The Baltimore native wants to be remembered as a hometown hero who sparked change. 

“I just want to put out for Baltimore,” Queen said. “A lot of people don't really make it out of Baltimore, and then I just wanted to come here and make a change. And hopefully, I did make a change so Coach Willard can keep getting a lot of local kids.”