Indiana has taken a couple recruitments on the chin recently going head-to-head with Maryland as that Big Ten peer seems to be re-energized with local recruits under new head coach Kevin Willard.
The Terrapins are in the mix for Baltimore, Md. product Derik Queen as well, but the Hoosiers hope they have their own ace-in-the-hole when it comes to the 6-foot-8 big man.
While he’s from Maryland, Queen plays high school basketball at Montverde Academy. That’s a place where IU has had its own recent run of recruiting success, landing point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and forward Malik Reneau in the class of 2022.
Queen’s ties to the IU freshmen along with assistant coach Kenya Hunter’s connections at Montverde have the Hoosiers in the conversation. He’s been saying for months now that he has an ongoing dialogue with IU and that continues to be the case this week in an update from Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy.
“I’ve been talking to them a little bit, and I’m going to ask my teammates about them,” Queen told Cassidy of the IU staff. “The coaches think it would be a good fit for me and talk about how good my teammates fit in up there.”
Queen is rated a 5-star in the aggregated 247Sports Composite, which has him as the No. 10 overall player in the 2024 class and the No. 1 center. He is best known for his high skill level, with an impressive array of footwork, the ability to finish with either hand, and a game that extends out to the perimeter.
Something else Queen has been saying routinely to this point — he plans to visit IU. He reiterated that to Cassidy.
“I’m going to Arizona, Indiana and probably Maryland,” Queen said on Sunday. “Those are the ones I’m going to visit for sure but I don’t have any dates yet.”
Queen has been said to at least be open to the idea of reclassifying to the class of 2023, which would be an interesting plot twist for IU and it’s efforts to round out that high school group.
The Hoosiers have recently lost out on Jamie Kaiser and DeShawn Harris-Smith to Maryland in the 2023 class, and they are primarily looking at adding a big man and a shooter to the group at this point. IU’s main target in the class to this point is forward/center Arrinten Page, while the transfer portal also presents an option in the spring.
Technically speaking, Queen would not have to decide whether to reclassify until the time comes to enroll in a college next summer.
See also: Queen’s sophomore season highlights at Montverde
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