Fans waited what felt like an eternity to see Derik Queen play for Maryland men’s basketball.
There was no shortage of expectations placed on the five-star big man — it didn’t take long for him to vindicate them. Queen needed just 14 minutes to notch a first-half double-double and finished the night with 22 points and 20 rebounds. He recorded Maryland’s first 20 point, 20 rebound performance since Joe Smith in 1995.
Queen’s dominant debut pushed Maryland past Manhattan, 79-49, in the Terps’ season-opener on Monday. They outscored the Jaspers, 48-21, in the second half.
“I got the job three years ago and the first place I went down to was Montverde to watch [Queen]… he’s one of the best freshmen, if not the best freshman in the country,” coach Kevin Willard said. “What he did tonight is what he does every day in practice, so it’s really not that surprising.”
Queen’s teammates agreed with Willard — but the Terps’ center didn’t.
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It was a welcomed surprise for the freshman, whose day ended with fans chanting his name during the first time he played for his hometown team.
“I heard it, I mean they [were] sitting right in front of me when I was on the bench. It just put a big smile on my face,” Queen said. “… I was playing like La-marvelous Jackson.”
Willard attributed the Terps first-half struggles to nerves. After the break, Manhattan shot 6-for-32 from the field and 1-for-16 from three as the second bore almost no resemblance to the first.
The same offensive deficiencies that haunted Maryland a year ago were present in the opening 20 minutes. The Terps shot 11-for-30 from the floor and 2-for-11 from three, entering halftime up by a measly three points against a team that finished in the bottom 30 of Kenpom’s rankings last season.
The Terps’ guards picked up the slack in the second half. Eleven of Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice’s points came after the break, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Rice and fellow transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie both impressed in their first games as Terps, scoring 12 and 16 points, respectively. Gillespie added five assists and no turnovers.
Queen, the lone bright spot in the first half, dazzled with a combination of plays that looked routine and flashy. For some, he ran the floor in transition, showing guard-like skills which led to dunks. Others came from sound fundamental put-back layups — he didn’t jump particularly high to grab them but used glue-like hands to corral anything in his vicinity.
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He scored Maryland’s first two baskets on consecutive possessions with a dunk and a second-chance layup. Queen blocked a Manhattan shot and added another bucket before heading to the bench at the first media timeout. He later heaved a full-court pass to fellow big man Julian Reese for an assist and had other moments where he highlighted the rare court vision that made him a unique prospect.
Five of Queen’s first-half boards were offensive, three of which led to second-chance baskets. The Jaspers tried denying Queen the ball after his first few scores, forcing him to rely on the glass to get touches.
But it was to no avail.
One of the Terps’ biggest problems was their 5-for-23 clip from beyond the arc. Even though Queen shined, they struggled to space the floor around him or convert on open shots when they could.
The two things Maryland fans itched for most were Derik Queen and improved shooting. They only got one of them, but a historical debut will push aside any complaints about the latter.
