They’ve established tracks from Florida to Bloomington, now Indiana hopes to keep the Montverde train rolling.
After landing Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau in the class of 2022 from the national prep school powerhouse, the IU staff has set its sights on a pair of prospects in the class of 2024. And one of them could end up in the class of 2023.
According to multiple reports, 5-star class of 2024 forward Derik Queen will officially visit Indiana on the weekend of Sept. 24-26.
Of note, that’s the same weekend his class of 2024 Montverde teammate and fellow 5-star Liam McNeeley will be in Bloomington for his official visit. That weekend is an away game for the IU football team, so it will be a weekend exclusively focused on hoops for the elite pair.
Originally from Baltimore, Md., the 6-foot-9 Queen is considering a reclassification to the class of 2023, something that would be very appealing to Indiana as it projects to lose both Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson after this season. The Hoosiers only have guards — point Gabe Cupps and combo Jakai Newton — as commits in their 2023 class to this point.
According to Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy, Queen’s visit to IU is very significant when it comes to the perceived balance of power in his recruitment.
“Queen’s upcoming official visit to Indiana feels like a big one given the larger context of the trip,” Cassidy wrote this week. “Queen is intrigued by the Hoosiers, has a pair of former Montverde Academy teammates already on the roster and has long discussed his desire to visit campus. When Queen arrives, he’ll be greeted by a pair of familiar faces in former teammates Malik Reneau and Jalen Hood-Schifino. Indiana having that sort of weapon at its disposal seems important if the Hoosiers hope to topple perceived front-runner Maryland and others in the race to land Queen’s pledge.”
Maryland has been a thorn in Indiana’s side of late, as new head coach Kevin Willard has been able to keep local 2023 products and IU targets Jamie Kaiser and DeShawn Harris-Smith home.
Queen is also set to officially visit Maryland on Oct. 1, according to a Friday report. Like IU, the Terps only have guard commits in their 2023 class, so he is an attractive fit there as well if he decides to reclassify.
Along with Indiana and Maryland, Arizona is a third school routinely mentioned as a key player in Queen’s recruitment.
Watch: IU basketball 2024 target Derik Queen sophomore season highlights
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