Queen led the Terps with 15.7 points per game.
No. 11 Maryland men’s basketball center Derik Queen was named the program’s first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday.
Queen led the Terps to the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a team-high 15.7 points per game on 52.6% shooting from the field. He also averages 9.2 rebounds — which ranks third in the conference — 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and a block per game.
He was also named to the All-Big Ten first team by the conference’s coaches.
The No. 8-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting class, according to ESPN, Queen committed to the Terps after a down year in 2023-24, when Maryland third-to-last in the conference standings with a 16-17 overall record.
Four of Maryland’s starters are new to the team, but Queen took the reigns as the Terps go-to player. The 6-foot-10 freshman is a mismatch for most teams playing alongside Julian Reese in the frontcourt. He also played and started in all 31 regular season games.
Queen was caught in a tight race for the award with Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey and Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis, but his combination of impressive stats and team success ultimately made the difference.