A new campus celebrity just dropped for students at the University of Maryland, and his name is Derik Queen. The six-foot-10 freshman for the Maryland Terrapins etched his name into National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history after a buzzer beater in their recent victory over the Colorado State Rams. This clutch win advances the Terrapins to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
As time expired on the clock, Queen made a fadeaway jumper from just outside the painted area for a 72-71 win. The stadium erupted as Queen’s teammates rushed him in celebration. Colorado players looked at each other stunned in disbelief, having thrown away their shot at the national championships.
On social media, many fans seem frustrated with the call on the floor. As Queen headed to the basket for the game-winning shot, many believe that he traveled to reach the net, taking more than two steps without dribbling the ball. If this is the case, then the basket shouldn’t count and the win then belongs to the Rams.
However, head coach Niko Medved of the Colorado State Rams put it very plainly in the post-game press conference when asked about the call by a reporter.
“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But it doesn’t matter–they didn’t call one.” After a tough loss to swallow, Medved had a sensible reply. He continued, “Whether it was or wasn’t, they didn’t call one, and they never go back and change the call.”
The gut-wrenching moment for Medved did not stop him from applauding the abilities of Queen.
“He made a really difficult shot, guys, I mean, he made a really, really difficult shot. They just made one more play than we did.”
Queen played 33 minutes and tallied 17 points, six rebounds and one assist.
“When coach drew up the play, he trusted me and my teammates trusted me,” Queen said. “I was a little bit nervous, but I was due for one, and I had to, had to make this.”
Queen also told reporters that this monumental shot was his first game winner, becoming the fourth freshman to make a game-winning shot since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, according to ESPN.
Despite the internet trolls bashing Queen online for his shot, along with the comments in his post-game press conferences, many league officials have taken to social media to justify the referee’s call on the floor.
Most notably, CBS rule analyst Gene Steratore settled the controversial debate.
“By rule, the dribble doesn’t end,” Steratore said. “And so there is firm possession with one hand locked or, more times than not, with two hands.” He later confirmed, “So you’ve got to wait until you can define firm possession … You can see when Derik Queen has both hands together, one foot hits, next foot, great shot, great ending.”
To sum it all up in the words of Steratore, “It just really doesn’t jump off the screen as anything big.”
At the end of the day, Queen’s move wasn’t ruled a travel by officials. He will go down in NCAA history, with a moment that millions of Maryland fans will remember for years to come.
The Terrapins will play against No. 1 Florida Gators today at 7:39 p.m.
bkeatin1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @theederikqueen, Instagram
