The New Mexico State Aggies basketball team has garnered a good deal of attention recently from the professional basketball world. Two-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam played at New Mexico State University in the 2013-2016 seasons and was drafted with the 27th pick of the NBA Draft to the Toronto Raptors. The NMSU men’s team made a splash on the national stage recently as well, as the 12-seed Aggies upset the 5-seed UConn Huskies 70-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, followed by another near upset of the Arkansas Razorbacks, falling 48-53 at the end of regulation. Besides local stars like Pascal Siakam, Teddy Allen, Johnny McCants, and more, there’s one man who hasn’t received nearly as much credit as he has deserved. His name is Trevelin Queen.

Trevelin Queen grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where he played basketball for North Country High School. Despite two years of varsity experience, Queen received no college offers coming out of graduation and decided to attend the College of Marin in California, where he would continue his basketball career. He would average 21.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in his freshman year with the program. Following the season, Queen transferred to New Mexico Military Institute to further his basketball career, where he averaged 26 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, as he was also named to the All-WJCAC team for the season. Despite the productive season with NMMI, for the third time in three years, Queen would transfer once again, this time staying within the state and attending New Mexico State University.

The junior guard would mostly see reserve time in his first season with the Aggies, still finding his way onto the court and the stat sheets, averaging 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in his first season of NCAA Division I play, along with a WAC tournament MVP award in 2019. As he entered his senior season, Queen would earn himself a spot in the starting lineup, and began to come into his own as a basketball player. Queen improved in every facet of his game, averaging 13.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, along with a Second-team All-WAC selection in 2020. As he concluded his college career, Queen would go undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, but would land a contract with the NBA G League affiliate for the Houston Rockets called the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Queen quickly proved to all 29 NBA teams that chose not to sign him the mistake that they had made. Averaging 10 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, Queen took over the G League and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In just one season of play in the NBA minor league, Queen earned All-NBA G League First Team, NBA G League All-Defensive Team, NBA G League Most Valuable Player, NBA G League Finals MVP, and an NBA G League championship ring. This incredible performance earned him a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, but would be quickly waived after a preseason injury against the Brooklyn Nets. Just three months later however, the Indiana Pacers would sign Queen on a two-way contract, and he would begin playing for the Mad Ants team, the Pacers G League affiliate.

Trevelin Queen has proved all of his doubters wrong throughout his career, from college scouts, to NBA coaches, and his opponents as well. On February 13, 2023, Queen notched on a career-high 35 points for the Mad Ants against the South Bay Lakers, giving no signs that he plans on slowing down anytime soon. Queen will look to continue to silence the critics, fight through adversity, and accomplish his goals, as his journey to the biggest stage continues.