Kansas basketball: Derik Queen, Flory Bidunga could form dominant big man duo

Kansas basketball pledge Flory Bidunga and the uncommitted Derik Queen could be a dangerous tandem next season.

One of the best big men in the 2024 recruiting class is Montverde Academy’s Derik Queen, a polished 6-foot-10 center with a soft touch around the rim and tremendous passing skills. His recruitment has now extended to December because he did not commit in the Early Signing Period. He visited Kansas at the beginning of this past September.

Although the consensus has been that Maryland and Indiana are his preferred choices, he still has not made up his mind on his college decision. In fact, Queen refuted claims that fellow competitors Houston and Kansas basketball were not still at the top of his list:

“I don’t know where people are getting that info from. The four schools that I posted are still the four schools that I’m interested in.” Queen told 247 Sports when asked about if Maryland/Indiana was leading.

Queen is one of seven uncommitted top 25 recruits in the country but the third highest-ranked in that group. To see a recruit of his caliber without a clear leader this late in the process is unusual, but it probably is good news for Jayhawk fans because it signals that he truly remains undecided.

Considering top-rated center Flory Bidunga is already committed to Coach Bill Self and Kansas basketball, one might wonder why he persists on targeting another big. However, the coaching staff loves his game and regularly checks in on him at Montverde — even when his recruitment was supposedly over.

While Bidunga is a raw talent and imposing paint presence, Queen is more of an inside-outside player who can set up his teammates with easy buckets or pull a mid-range jumper. If Hunter Dickinson decides to depart for the NBA following the 2023-24 season, the two could very well share time on the floor together in their freshman years.

This is what Queen had to say about Hunter Dickinson and the Jayhawks:

“I see Kansas and they are a pretty good team. I see that they play through Hunter (Dickinson) a lot, and then they have a pretty good point guard. They are just a really good team.”

Even if Kansas is not the frontrunner to land the Maryland native, we have seen Bill Self win recruitments in the past when we least expected him to. There is no timetable for his decision announcement, but it is one that KU fans will definitely want to keep an eye on.