Observing Derik Queen, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Julian Reese in the Maryland-Illinois Game

January 24th, 2025

Yesterday, I took the time to watch two of the top prospects, Derik Queen and Kasparas Jakucionis go at it in a highly anticipated Maryland against Illinois, Big Ten college basketball game, as both players could end up being lottery picks in the 2025 draft. It was close in the first half, but it became a lopsided affair as Maryland ran away with the game to get a blowout win. The standout performers looked to be Derik Queen, Julian Reese, and Kasparas Jakucionis, and there were other solid performances from other players as well. Here are my thoughts on how Queen, Jakucionis, and other various prospects fared in this game.

Maryland’s 6-10 freshman center, Derik Queen scored 25 points on 10 of 13 shooting, and had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals to lead his team to a 91-70 win over Illinois. (Photo: Craig Pessman/Associated Press, via Delaware State News)

Derik Queen had a strong showing to lead Maryland to a double-digit win over Illinois. In a game where Tomislav Ivisic was unable to play, Queen dominated throughout the night on both ends of the floor.

Queen showed a very solid ability to score off the dribble as well as out of the post. He is a deceptively quick. Big man that can use a variety of ball-handling moves to score on strong drives to the hoop, and he can ably score in traffic. He also was able to use a drop step move and spin out to score out of the post. Another time, he used a pump fake and posted up, and then dribbled out to score on a smooth step-back, mid-range jumper. While his range doesn’t yet seem to extend to the three-point line, he showed a good touch and form on his jump shot. The downside was that he struggled more to make outside shots in this game.

He also showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. He’ll run the floor to score on the break, and he can score rolls to the rim. Queen was able to drive up court to score in transition, and he also can throw down powerful dunks after getting the ball on the move.

Also, he displayed solid playmaking skills in this game. Queen is a good passing big man that can throw crisp, accurate interior passes to find teammates on the move due to possessing good court vision. He can make no-look passes, and he was able to rack up plenty of assists. Sometimes though, he would throw careless passes that would go astray, and he was also called for a traveling violation on a drive to the basket once.

In addition, Queen was able to get his fair share of boards to chip in on the glass. He also played solid defense in this game. Queen did a great job of intercepting passes to get steals. He also actively closed out on a three-point shooter to force a miss. On the downside, sometimes he didn’t move his feet well when guarding opposing ball handlers out on the perimeter, and he would sometimes get beat off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

In general, Queen played very well to help lead his team to a blowout win over Illinois. He is a smart, skilled big man that made a number of strong plays to help his team, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the lottery of the 2025 draft, as he could be similar to former All-Star, Zach Randolph in the NBA.

Illinois’ 6-6 freshman guard, Kasparas Jakucionis scored 21 points, and had 7 assists and 7 rebounds, but he also did not make a three-pointer and committed 7 turnovers in his team’s tough loss to Maryland. (Photo: Craig Pessman/The Associated Press, via The Columbia Missourian)

Kasparas Jakucionis also had a decent showing in his team’s loss to Maryland. He is a quick, crafty playmaker that has strong offensive skills, but while he excelled as a scorer and was able to rack up assists, he also struggled with his jump shot, shot selection, and turnovers in this game.

Jakucionis did a good job of scoring off the dribble. He would often score on quick drives to the hoop, and he is a crafty scorer that would use pump fakes and jump stops to frequently score and draw fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line. Jakucionis had some really strong finishes in this game. On the downside, he also would tend to take tough, contested outside shots, as he had trouble connecting on his mid-range jumpers or three-point shots, and there were a couple of times where he completely missed the mark on those shots.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills in this game. Jakucionis is a flashy playmaker that can make crisp interior passes to find teammates on the move, and he also can get into the lane and make passes off the dribble to set up plenty of scores for his teammates due to possessing good court vision. He also was able to make a no-look pass off of a drive to find an open shooter once. On the downside, he wold sometimes over-dribble or mishandle the ball, which would lead him to commit ball-handling turnovers. Other times, he would throw carelessly, inaccurate passes that would get intercepted.

He also showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball. Defensively, he looked to be fairly average. He is an active defender that can apply significant ball pressure. On the other hand, there was one play where he was a bit late to rotate, and he ended up allowing his opponent to score on a three-point shot. Another time, he applied heavy ball pressure out on the perimeter, but he ended up committing a reach-in foul on the opposing ball handler later on.

Overall, Jakucionis didn’t have his best game, but he was still able to make some really solid plays despite not being able to make a three-pointer and being turnover prone in this game. He excelled as a driver to score and get assists, and he also rebounded the ball well. He’ll need to improve his shot selection and cut down on the turnovers, but he is a very talented prospect that could be a likely lottery pick in the 2025 draft.

Maryland’s Julian Reese scored 27 points, and had 17 rebounds and 3 blocks to help lead his team to a stunning, 91-70 blowout win over Illinois. (Photo: Ron Johnson/USA Today Sports, via Fox News)

Julian Reese also played well to help his team get a double-digit win over Illinois. He is an athletic, energetic forward that excelled as a scorer and rebounder when he was on the floor.

Reese showed a satisfactory ability to score out of the post. He would get deep position to score down low, and he showed solid touch, strength, and the body control to finish plays around the basket. He also was able to score on a nifty, switch of hands layup. Sometimes though, he would miss on turnaround jump hooks, but Reese can take slower opponents off the dribble to score, and he showed a solid scoring touch around the basket.

He also excelled at scoring off of put backs and rolls to the rim. Reese was able to make an open mid-range jumper off the catch. While he didn’t look to take many outside shots, Reese showed that he can knock down shots from the mid-range, and he showed off a capable face-up game.

Also, he showed off decent playmaking skills in this game. He is a willing passer that can find the open man, and he did a good job of passing the basketball when he would look to do so. He also was able to set a screen to help his teammate get an open driving lane to set up a score for him. On the downside, he got stripped when dribbling off of an offensive rebound, and he also dropped a catchable pass out of bounds another time.

Plus, Reese did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball. He was excellent at hauling in boards on both ends of the floor. He also defended well. Reese showed a knack for blocking shots to help his team protect the paint. There was one play where he did a good job of not biting on the pump fake, and he stayed with his man to swat the shot. On one play though, he was late to rotate to defend in the post once, and he ended up committing a foul and allowing the score that time.

In summary, Julian Reese had a solid showing to help Maryland get a win over Illinois. He is an athletic, high-motor forward that primarily excelled as an interior player, and he was terrific on the boards in this game. He’ll need to continue to improve his outside shot, but he is an underrated prospect that could end up being a solid role player in the NBA.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie also had a solid showing to help his team get a win over Illinois. He is an agile, skilled point guard that passed the ball well, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.

He showed off a decent ability to score the basketball. Gillespie is a fleet-footed guard that can quickly score on drives in transition, and he was able to get some tough scores off the dribble in traffic. He also showed a knack for making dribble, mid-range jumpers. On the downside, he would also sometimes tend to take contested, off-balanced shots that would lead to misses. While he struggled to make threes consistently in this game, Gillespie was able to make a deep three-pointer in the second half.

Also, Gillespie showed off good playmaking skills in this game. He did a very good job of making passes off the dribble and to find teammates on the move to rack up assists. But every once in a while, he would make careless mistakes that would lead to turnovers. On one play though, he threw an inaccurate lead pass that sailed out of bounds. He also clumsily dribbled off his foot once, which led the ball to wind up out of bounds.

He also was able to chip in to get a few boards, and Gillespie did a good job of getting offensive rebounds. He also defended very well. He would hound opposing ball handlers and poke balls away to get steals, and he would also get his hands on passes to get others. He also managed to block a shot off of a drive to a teammate, and he also contested a three to force a miss. There was one play where he got outmuscled on a drive, which led him to commit a foul that time, but Gillespie generally defended well in this game.

Overall, Ja’Kobi Gillespie excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get the win, and he is a skilled point guard that could end up being a solid role player at the NBA level.

Kylan Boswell had a decent showing in his team’s loss to Maryland. He is an agile, skilled point guard that can score the basketball in a variety of ways. He generally excelled at scoring on backdoor cuts. He also did a decent job of scoring off the dribble, as he has solid foot speed, and can accelerate to score on layups. He also managed to make a smooth, step-back three to showcase his shooting skills. However, sometimes he would struggle to score in traffic, and he was a bit streaky with his outside shot.

On the downside, he was quite turnover prone on offense. On one good play, Boswell was able to swing the ball to get the ball to an open shooter to notch an assist once. However, he would tend to throw hasty, lazy passes that would get intercepted, and he also threw an inaccurate pass that led to an over and back violation once.

He also did a great job of rebounding the basketball. Overall, Boswell showed that he is a strong combo guard that can score the basketball, but he will need to be a more consistent shooter and facilitator in games. He projects into a backup point guard role at the NBA level, but he will need to make these improvements to increase his odds of succeeding at the next level.

Maryland’s 6-4 senior guard, Selton Miguel showed off versatile scoring skills and defended well to help his team get the win over Illinois. He is an athletic combo guard that can score on aggressive drives to the hoop as well as in transition, and he also utilized a jab step to make a deep three once. He also would make the extra pass to find the open man to set up scores for his teammates, and while he didn’t grab many rebounds, he was able to get a pair of defensive boards.

He also played satisfactory defense in this game. Miguel was able to rip a ball away from an opponent to get a steal, and he would deflect passes other times. He also was able to actively contest a shot around the basket to force a miss. Sometimes though, he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Miguel is an athletic, energetic combo guard that can score and defend in games. He may need to prove to NBA teams that he can reliably run the point at higher levels, but his ability to compete and make plays on both ends of the floor could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA someday.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn also played well in his team’s loss to Maryland. He is an athletic, energetic combo guard that excelled as a shooter and scorer in this game. Gibbs-Lawhorn shot the ball well from the outside, as he can make shots off the catch and dribble. He also excelled as a finisher, and he also would score on strong drives to the basket.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills. In this game, Gibbs-Lawhorn was able to throw an accurate bounce pass to a cutter to notch an assist. He also rebounded the ball very well. Overall, Gibbs-Lawhorn is an athletic, energetic combo guard that can score the basketball, and while he will need to improve his playmaking skills, he has been a solid bench guard for Illinois, and he could be a prospect to watch in the future.

Will Riley had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Maryland. He was held scoreless, as he was very passive, and there were times where he didn’t look to be very assertive or confident on offense. He attempted to score off of a cut, but missed in traffic that time. He also pulled up to take a three, but missed from beyond the arc. Riley was held scoreless, which was shocking for a player as talented as he is.

He showcased fairly solid playmaking skills. Riley is an unselfish player that made good passes off the dribble, and he would make timely passes to rack up assists. On one play though, he got stripped when handling the ball to commit a turnover.

In this game, Riley did not get a single rebound against Maryland. Overall, Riley did not play nearly as well as hoped, but he did make timely passes, and he showed that he can pass the basketball. His play seems to have been faltering as of late, and he will need to regain the confidence, as well as the shooting and scoring touch he displayed early in the season. He’s probably not a first round prospect, and Riley will need to stay in school to hone his game, but based on the other games, it’s quite possible that an NBA team could take a chance on him in the second round if he were to declare to enter the 2025 draft.

Ben Humrichous had a disappointing game in his team’s loss to Maryland. He missed all of his three-point shots, and he was held scoreless on offense. He did use a pump fake when driving to the hoop to draw a non-shooting foul, though.

He displayed decent playmaking skills. When doubled in the high post, Humrichous managed to throw an accurate interior pass to notch an assist. He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. He also played decent defense in this game. Humrichous is an active help defender that was able to fly in to block a shot in the post, and he also deflected a pass another time. Sometimes though, he would be late to rotate, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Humrichous was supposed to be a sharpshooter, but he was held scoreless, so therefore, he played poorly in his team’s loss to Maryland. Still, he is a better athlete than advertised, and on a good day, his play could enable him to be a 3 and D role player in the NBA.

Carey Booth didn’t play very well, but he is a tall, mobile 6-10 sophomore big man that showed off a promising skill set in his team’s loss to Maryland.

Though he struggled to make threes consistently, Booth was able to pull up to make a smooth three-pointer to showcase his range. On the downside, he struggled to make spot-up threes off the catch.

He also showed off fairly average playmaking skills. Booth would set solid on-ball screens to help his teammates get open driving lanes on offense. On one play though, he was called for traveling shortly after receiving the ball off of a cut once.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Booth was able to get an offensive rebound once. Defensively, he looked to be fairly average. Booth was able to contest a three to force a miss. He almost blocked a shot off of a put back due to possessing the length and athleticism to do so, but he instead was whistled for committing a foul that time. On the downside, his team tended to be out of position defensively, so he would end up committing quick touch fouls when defending around the basket.

Overall, Carey Booth has a promising set of skills and has good size and above average athleticism, and his potential to develop as a stretch big and rim protector could make him an intriguing long-term prospect. But in the short term, he is rather unpolished as a player right now, and he will need time to hone and develop his game. He will need to stay in school at Illinois, but over time, if he can play well at this level, he could possibly move up draft boards in 2026 or in a future year later on.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Queen, Jakucionis, Reese, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.