Maryland freshman Derik Queen has lofty expectations. His teammates quickly saw why.

COLLEGE PARK Maryland coach Kevin Willard used phrases like once in a lifetime and generational talent.

He declared Derik Queen the most skilled big man hes ever coached.

Willard, speaking during the Terps media day on Tuesday, ventured to say that if he were an NBA general manager, hed draft Queen a 6-foot-10 freshman and five-star recruit who hasnt played a college game yet in a heartbeat.

Queen has only been on campus for a few months.

The Baltimore native wont play meaningful competition until 7 p.m.

on Nov.

4, when the Terps host Manhattan to open the season.

Yet, theres an innate pressure that comes with being the programs highest-rated recruit since 2015, shouldering lofty expectations as a 19-year-old who could turn pro after one season.

He doesnt see it that way.

Queen skips into every practice with more energy than any of his teammates, Willard said.

Hes self-aware and knows his potential.

Fielding season-preview questions before an imposing number of cameras, he was calm with a childlike innocence.

To Queen, hes just a basketball player.

Youre talking about a kid raised in Baltimore by a single momma, [who] lost his father earlier in his life.

This is nothing, associate head coach David Cox said.

This aint pressure.

...

This is just an opportunity for him.

He sees it differently.

He embraces it.

Not only for himself and for his family, but for the entire Baltimore community and the state of Maryland.

Queen left St.

Frances after a stellar freshman season to finish his high school career at Montverde Academy in Florida.

There, he helped lead the Eagles to a perfect 33-0 record last winter playing a national schedule.

He was of the McDonalds All American Game.

And he graduated as the 10th-highest recruit in the country by ESPN.

Somebody that has that hype coming to Maryland, said, some kids can have a big head.

He dont have that.

Hes humble and just trying learn.

Hes just happy to be here.

His teammates say there was no obvious transition period.

He arrived in College Park with all the necessary on-court tools.

Senior Julian Reese said he only gets questions when Queen gets lost on campus.

Willard couldnt pin down a player comparison for those in Baltimore who havent seen Queen play up close since his freshman year at St.

Frances and are now itching to see how his game translates to the Big Ten Conference.

He stood upright, his hands clutching the dais, racking his brain.

Willards eyes darted toward the back corner of the gym where Queen waited with his teammates.

You watch him play, he looks like youre watching a 1960s, slow-motion NBA basketball player, Willard said.

When I say that people are like, Oh, but ...

Then he goes out and drops 20 [points] and 12 [rebounds] in 20 minutes.

Queen plays at a speed any coach would want their point guard to play at, according to Willard.

Miguel said hes the best freshman Ive ever played with, showcasing feel and footwork resembling Joel Embiid, the two-time NBA MVP of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Cox and DeShawn Harris-Smith, a sophomore guard, agreed with the name Baltimoreans bestowed upon Queen: , a reference to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Queen said he tries to model his game after the three-time MVP, but LeBron James is his favorite player.

Harris-Smith has known Queen since he was just a chubby sixth grader.

Now in College Park together, he gushed at the sterling freshman with a professional mindset.

According to his 8 a.m.

workout partner, Queen always finds his way into the gym his Instagram bio reads, I need the keys to the gym.

Its perhaps easy for coaches and teammates to speak highly of one of their own on media day before having played a game yet.

But the forecast of Queens potential as an immediate impact took no time at all.

There was a three-on-three scrimmage this summer, Queens first practice and first quasi-organized game against his college teammates.

The bullish freshman with bountiful expectations went on a quick run of his own.

He dunked on someone.

Then he sank a mid-ranger, showcasing the high release that accompanies his 7-foot wingspan.

It was almost like he was playing one-on-one, Harris-Smith said.

Fellow freshman Malachi Palmer added, You could definitely see the talent.

Then Queen got his first taste of college competition against a team not wearing red and gold.

Maryland played Georgetown on Saturday in a closed-door scrimmage.

The Hoyas reportedly won, 68-64, but Willard said Queen was phenomenal playing against someone else.

Related Articles Queen checked into the game and caught the ball in the high post on his first offensive possession.

He put the ball on the deck, spun through his defender and softly dropped in a finger roll.

Hes been in the game for 10 seconds and hes able to make a move, create an angle, touch shot and it goes in.

Just like that, Cox said.

Then he did it again.

And again.

It was easy for him.

I even asked him, Were you nervous at all? He said, Well, I was a little bit before the game.

I said, I couldnt tell.

Willard acknowledged that the way last years roster was constructed wasnt conducive to an NCAA Tournament run while developing his underclassmen.

Hed send out the Terps starting five, then turn to his bench and see five freshmen.

This offseason, Willards staff reached into the transfer portal to form a roster with more experience, resulting in seven players with at least two years under their belt.

That, and having, as Willard put it, the best young player in the country in Derik Queen..

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