Five-Star Montverde Teammates Derik Queen, Liam McNeeley Visit Indiana

Indiana basketball hosted official visits this weekend for a pair of five-star prospects from Montverde Academy, Derik Queen and Liam McNeeley. Indiana coach Mike Woodson recruited Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau out of Montverde in the class of 2022.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Coach Mike Woodson and the Indiana basketball program hosted official visits for two of the top high school basketball prospects over the weekend.

Derik Queen and Liam McNeeley are teammates at Montverde Academy, which is considered one of the nation's top high school basketball programs. And it looks like they might choose to team up in college. 

Five-star recruits from Montverde Academy Derik Queen (left) and Liam McNeeley (right) pose in candy stripe pants during their official visits to Indiana University over the weekend.
Five-star recruits from Montverde Academy Derik Queen (left) and Liam McNeeley (right) pose in candy stripe pants during their official visits to Indiana University over the weekend / via @liammcneeley30 on Twitter

Queen is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound center ranked No. 15 overall in the class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite. He first went to high school at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md., but transferred to Montverde for his sophomore year. According to Travis Branham, Queen is a candidate to reclassify into the class of 2023. 

Queen is the No. 2 center in his class, and Indiana offered him a scholarship on Nov. 26, 2021. He played AAU basketball for Team Thrill, a member of the Under Armour Association.

Indiana currently has two commits in the class of 2023, guards Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton. In all likelihood, Indiana starting forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson will be gone following the 2022-23 season, making power forward and center positions of long-term need. 

Here are Queen's highlights from his sophomore season at Montverde. 

McNeeley is a 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward, and he is ranked No. 21 overall in the class of 2024. He attended John Paul II High School in Plano, Tex., but announced this summer that he will transfer to Montverde for his junior year. 

McNeeley played AAU basketball for Drive Nation, which is part of the Nike EYBL circuit. He also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Here are some of McNeeley's highlights from his sophomore year at John Paul II.

In his first recruiting class as head coach at Indiana, Woodson landed two players from Montverde in five-star guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and five-star power forward Malik Reneau. Pulling from one of the top programs in the country is obviously good place to start, and we'll see if Woodson can continue this recruiting success with Queen and McNeeley.

Related stories on Indiana basketball: 

  • MIKE WOODSON SPEAKS AT INDIANA BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY: Indiana University held a media day for the men's and women's basketball programs on Thursday in anticipation of the 2022-23 season. Here's what coach Mike Woodson said. CLICK HERE
  • GAME TIMES, TV INFO ADDED TO IU MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The Big Ten released TV and game time information for the 2022-2023 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball season on Thursday. All games can be seen on BTN, BTN+, CBS, ESPN/ESPN2, FS1 and FOX. CLICK HERE
  • BEER SALES COMING TO ASSEMBLY HALL: Indiana athletics announced the addition of beer sales to men's and women's basketball games at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall during the 2022-23 season. This concession option will debut at Hoosier Hysteria on Oct. 7. CLICK HERE
  • INDIANA BASKETBALL TO HOLD PRO DAY: For the first time in program history, representatives from all 30 NBA teams will be invited to see the 2022-23 Indiana men's basketball team go through a pro-style combine workout. CLICK HERE

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.