Maryland superstar Derik Queen finally broke his silence on the Kevin Willard drama. After just three seasons in College Park, MD, and one of the best seasons in program history, Willard decided to move on, packing his bags and heading to Philadelphia to coach Villanova.
Many scorned the move, with Willard reportedly missing a team dinner prior to their Sweet 16 game against No. 1 Florida last week. For Queen, it means an uncertain future in Maryland.
Maryland Star Derik Queen Responds to Head Coach Kevin Willard’s Villanova Move
Queen, who spoke briefly to the press after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles’ home opener Monday, was noncommittal about his future.
“I don’t know,” Queen said. “We ain’t got no coach now, so I don’t know.”
— derik queen (@derikqueen1) March 31, 2025
The center, who averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds on 52.6% shooting and scored a bank shot buzzer-beater to beat Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, has plenty of options, with some seeing the freshman as a potential NBA draftee.
“All I can say is I’m sad that he [Willard] left,” Queen said.
Queen also took to Twitter, quote tweeting an ESPN post officially announcing Willard’s departure to the Wildcats with multiple sad emojis.
Willard’s departure comes after his criticism of the program for a lack of support and NIL issues.
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“I need to make sure that we are where we are with NIL, and rev share is not where we’ve been with NIL over the past two years,” Willard said. “We’ve been one of the worst, if not lowest, in the NIL in the last two years. So, that’s first and foremost. I also have to make a fundamental change where I can do the things that I want to do with my program.”
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