Terps Basketball Star Derik Queen Selected No. 13 in NBA Draft

Baltimore native Derik Queen became the 65th player in Maryland basketball program history to hear his name called at the NBA Draft.

Queen, who played one year with the Terps, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 13th pick in the first round on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The pick was traded just before being announced to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Queen also became the 21st first-round pick for the Terps and is the highest draft selection since Jalen Smith was chosen by Phoenix at No. 10 in the 2020 draft. Maryland's most recent draftee was Aaron Wiggins in 2021 (2nd round, No. 55) by Oklahoma City. (The Thunder won the 2025 NBA Championship on Sunday, making Wiggins the fourth Terp in program history to win the NBA title as a player.) The last Maryland freshman to declare for the NBA draft after just one year in College Park was Diamond Stone (2016, second round).

For Queen, hearing his name called was a culmination of a high-profile year at Maryland. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was an NABC All-District First Team, All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Freshman selection. He was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Game after helping the Terps reach the semifinals.

Queen led Maryland averaging 16.5 points per game along with 9.0 rebounds. His 594 points set the Terps' freshman scoring record, while his 16.5 points per game were second overall. Queen produced 12 20-point scoring games and 15 double-doubles during the year.

He gained national acclaim with his buzzer-beating game-winner against Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. His final game as a Terp was a 27-point effort against No. 1 seed Florida in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Queen's collegiate career began with a 22-point, 20-rebound double-double against Manhattan.