After Derik Queen hit a floater off the glass as time expired to send Maryland to its first Sweet 16 since 2016, the big freshman delivered one of the most candid, memorable quotes I’ve ever seen live.
Andy Katz, who I have grown up watching on Big Ten Network over the years, had just wrapped up his interview with Maryland Head Coach Kevin Willard. As the camera panned to big number 25, the freshman looked calm as ever—chewing on his mouthguard like always. No sign that he had just hit the biggest shot of his life.
When Katz motioned for him to come over, Queen gave his coach a big hug first. He put his mouthguard back in, then took it out again, flashing his braces with a huge grin.
Katz opened with the stereotypical question after a buzzer beater in March: how often have you dreamed of a moment like that?
“I couldn’t do it without my team,” the stoic Queen said without hesitation. Doesn’t answer the question but sure, go credit your teammates first after hitting a wild shot to save the season.
Katz followed up with a reference to something Coach Willard had shared just minutes earlier. Inside the final timeout huddle, Willard had asked his team, “Who wants it?”
Queen responded: “Give me the MF ball.”
That on its own is memorable. But what happened next made the interview iconic. Katz asked where his toughness came from. With his mouthguard dangling in his hand, still with a big smile, Queen responded:
“I think I’m from Baltimore—that’s why.”
Iconic.
This quote took me back to when I was a freshman at ETHS—our old advisor Mr. Phillips showed our intro to journalism class a feature story that has stayed with me ever since. It was about Mo Gaba, a blind teenager from Baltimore who battled cancer with infectious joy, becoming a luminary in the city and a fixture for their professional sports teams. He called into radio shows with booming enthusiasm, announced a Ravens draft pick in Braille, threw out the first pitch at an Orioles game and did countless other things around the city. But it wasn’t a pity story and that’s what made it so special for me. The city didn’t embrace Mo simply because he had to battle cancer at such a young age; they embraced Mo for who he was during his fight—an incredibly resilient and happy kid. Baltimore made Mo a symbol for Baltimore, both during his life and after he passed. It is hard to put it into words so I encourage everyone to watch The Gift of Gaba: The Story of Mo Gaba, the best feature story I have ever watched.
Ever since the Ravens painted the “MO” of “Baltimore” in their end zone gold, every Raven’s game I turn on is a reminder of Mo and the city of Baltimore.
That’s why Derik Queen’s quote was so powerful to me. It was a nod to the same unbreakable pride that Mo embodied.
I have heard about all of the legendary postgame quotes but had never felt like I had truly experienced one for myself. I had never seen my Kevin Garnett “Anything is Possible,” or my Allen Iverson “We talkin’ bout practice, man?” I had only ever seen clips on Youtube, never seen one live.
When Queen flashed those braces and delivered the message, I knew I heard my Kevin Garnett or Allen Iverson moment—a quote that I’m sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
