It appears IU fans won’t have to wait much longer to find out the college decision of 2024 top-20 big man Derik Queen.
In a weekend report by Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy, the 6-foot-9 Queen has a likely announcement plan, and perhaps a new frontrunner.
Down to Indiana, Maryland, Houston and Kansas, Cassidy says to watch for Queen to announce much the same way as his Montverde Academy teammate and IU signee Liam McNeeley — on national television.
The event to watch according to Cassidy will be the Hoophall Classic (Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass.) in mid-January on ESPN.
The Hoophall starts on Jan. 11, with Montverde scheduled to play Jan. 12-14.
ESPN has announced they will air No. 4 Prolific Prep (Calif.) vs. No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) on Jan. 14 on ESPN2. Montverde also plays games at the event each of the two days prior (Jan. 12 and 13).
But who will Queen choose if he does announce on television in a few weeks?
Cassidy may be the first national analyst from one of the major recruiting outlets to pencil Indiana into the favorite spot. As we reported a couple weeks ago, there have been favorable developments for IU, and this seems to be further evidence.
Here’s what Cassidy had to say.
“Once seen as running in second place, the Hoosiers got a dose of optimism when Queen decided against committing in the early period at the 11th hour. Obviously, Indiana shouldn’t start counting chickens just yet because this situation seems especially volatile, even for something in the recruiting world.
A public announcement at Hoophall could read as a positive development for IU, however, as it would allow Queen to announce in the presence of his high school teammate and Hoosier signee Liam McNeeley, who has publicly been helping Mike Woodson recruit the five-star big man for months.”
Cassidy says Maryland is still in the race, while he depicts Houston as a longshot and Kansas all but out of the picture at this point.
To this point, McNeeley is Indiana’s lone commit in the 2024 class.
For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.
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