Syracuse basketball interest in top-ranked freshman, recruitment heats up

Syracuse basketball has reportedly shown interest in the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class, a supremely talented forward out of Baltimore, and his recruiting process is starting to really get going.

Derik Queen, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is a freshman at the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore and competes on the AAU circuit with the Baltimore-based Team Thrill.

Since he is only a freshman, his recruiting process has a way to go. The scholarship-offer list for the five-star Queen, however, is beginning to grow.

According to 247Sports national analyst Brandon Jenkins, Queen recently landed an offer from Southeastern Conference member Auburn. Another relatively recent offer came from Big East Conference team DePaul. Texas from the Big 12 Conference has also offered.

Derik Queen, the No. 1 prospect in 2024, has interest from Syracuse basketball.

Other prior offers have been doled out to Queen by fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech, former Big East adversary Georgetown, Maryland, LSU and Arizona State.

I’ve seen several media reports that speak to the Orange having interest in Queen. His bio on the 247Sports Web site says that ACC squads Florida State and Pittsburgh are also displaying interest.

Jody Demling, the publisher of Cardinal Authority on the 247Sports network, wrote in a recent article that Louisville coaches have been taking a look at Queen for a couple of months.

Now that college coaches can watch high-school prospects live, Queen should see his number of offers significantly expand, particularly as he shines in AAU events and for his high-school team in Baltimore.

ESPN recently came out with its initial rankings of the top-25 prospects within the 2024 class, and Queen has arrived at No. 1 overall across the country. He is also the No. 1 power forward and the No. 1 prospect in Maryland, according to ESPN.

As we detailed in a column several months ago, Queen averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per contest as a freshman for the Saint Frances Academy.

For those efforts in the 2020-21 term, MaxPreps named him the National Freshman of the Year as well as a member of the freshman All-America first team.

Analysts have raved about Queen’s exceptional mid-range game that has drawn some comparisons to former ‘Cuse legend Carmelo Anthony.

Jenkins recently said in part about Queen, “A faceup four-man with fantastic hands, Queen has a soft shooting touch that extends out to the three-point line.”