Queen Selected 13th Overall In NBA Draft

Press release...

BROOKLYN, NY – After declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft following his freshman season, Baltimore native Derik Queen became the 65th player in Maryland basketball program history to hear his name called on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center. Queen was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 13th pick in the first round. The pick was traded just before being announced to the New Orleans Pelicans.
 
Queen also becomes the 21st first round pick for the Terps and is the highest draft selection since Jalen Smith was chosen at No. 10 by Phoenix in the 2020 draft. Maryland's most recent draftee was Aaron Wiggins in 2021 (2nd round, #55) by Oklahoma City. Wiggins and the Thunder won the 2025 NBA Championship on Sunday as he became the fourth Terp in program history to win the NBA title as a player. The last Maryland freshman to declare for the NBA draft after just one year in College Park was Diamond Stone (2016, 2nd round).
 
For Queen, hearing his name called was a culmination of a high-profile year at Maryland.

During the 2024-25 campaign, Queen earned a multitude of honors highlighted by being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was also an NABC All-District First Team, All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Freshman selection. He was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Game after helping the Terps reach the semifinals.

Queen led Maryland averaging 16.5 points per game along with 9.0 rebounds. His 594 points set the Terps' freshman scoring record, while his 16.5 points per game were second overall. Queen produced 12 20-point scoring games and 15 double-doubles during the year. 
 
The Baltimore native became just the sixth freshman since 1980 to average over 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
 
He gained national acclaim with his buzzer-beating, game-winner against Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. His final game as a Terp was a 27-point effort against No. 1 seed Florida in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Queen's collegiate career began with a 22-point, 20-rebound double-double against Manhattan.