Was Maryland freshman Derik Queen’s debut the best of any 2024 5-star recruit?

Derik Queen opened his Maryland men’s basketball career with a ho-hum 22 points and 20 rebounds. It was the first time in over two decades that a Terps men’s player scored 20 points and snagged 20 rebounds in the same game.

Queen’s final stat line in a 79-49 win over Manhattan also included two blocks, one steal and an assist. He was 9-for-14 on shots from inside the arc, 0-for-2 on 3-pointers and a respectable 4 of 5 from the free throw line. The performance impressed fans and national pundits, but it didn’t shock Queen’s teammates.

“He came in as a five-star, and I heard a lot about him,” Belmont transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “I really expected that.”

A five-star recruit indeed. National recruiting website 247Sports listed Queen as the No. 12 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Only 20 players in the class were five-star prospects, with Queen being one of just three centers in the top 20.

How did Queen’s showing stack up against the debuts of those other five-stars? Let’s take a look at other notable showings from five-star players who debuted Monday and Tuesday.

Cooper Flagg, Duke, No. 1 overall prospect

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, kept his hype train moving with an 18-point showing against Maine on Monday. The Blue Devils star also added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

While Flagg’s stat line was nothing to scoff at, Queen’s 20-20 game beats out his former high school teammate at Florida’s Montverde Academy as far as eye-popping debut numbers.

Tre Johnson, Texas, No. 6 prospect

If any five-star prospect has a case that their debut was better than Queen’s, it’s Johnson. The Texas freshman scored 29 points, a program-record for a debut, to go with five rebounds and four assists. Most impressively, it came Monday against Ohio State. The Longhorns lost, but Johnson looked the part against a Big Ten opponent.

Queen’s stat line is hard to argue against, but there’s a major difference between a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/maryland-freshman-derik-queen-debut-220500292.html

Author : Baltimore Sun

Publish date : 2024-11-06 22:05:00

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