Maryland HC: Derik Queen Would Be NBA Draft's Top Pick 'If He Was European and White'

Maryland men's basketball head coach Kevin Willard believes that Terrapins freshman center Derik Queen would be the No. 1 pick in the draft if he was European and white, per comments made to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

"If he was European and white he'd be the first pick in the draft," Willard said to Norlander, who penned a profile of Queen that published Thursday. "He gets a little penalized because he doesn't have the greatest athleticism. He has better ballhandling skills than most guards, he's like a 15-year-vet in the fact he knows and understands the game."

The 6'10", 246-pound big man is averaging 16.0 points on 54.9 percent shooting and 8.8 rebounds for the No. 20 Terrapins, who have won seven of eight games to move to 10-5 in the Big Ten and 20-6 overall. Queen has been phenomenal over Maryland's last three games, posting 23.7 points and 13.0 rebounds.

The latest Bleacher Report NBA mock draft (Feb. 5) from Jonathan Wasserman had Queen going 18th overall.

The latest aggregate NBA mock draft (Jan. 22) from HoopsHype lists Queen at No. 17.

Obviously, given how well Queen has performed of late, he could very well rise up the boards. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see him merit strong lottery (top 14) consideration in June.

The 20-year-old will not be the No. 1 overall pick in this draft, though. This is a loaded 2025 class, with the frontrunner for No. 1 currently being Duke forward Cooper Flagg. Rutgers' dynamic duo (Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper) is up there as well, and Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe is looking like a top-five pick.

Still, Queen is exceptional in his own right, and Willard continued raving about him to Norlander.

"He's by far the best player I've ever coached," Willard said in part. "What makes him so unique is he's such a good kid. There's no bulls--t. He just loves to hoop, he comes in the gym every day smiling, joking, works hard. He's so fun to coach because he's so talented on the court and so fun off the court. It's been a blast."

Willard also likened playing Queen to having a "6'11" point guard on the court."

Queen will certainly be a player to watch come March, both because of his ability to elevate Maryland to a higher level and his NBA potential. For now, the Terps hope to finish the regular season strong before the Big Ten tournament begins on March 12.