Loyal McQueen
Loyal McQueen changed courses after a coaching change but is staying in the ACC. *Photo by Larry Rhinehart.
Loyal To The Yellow Jackets
New Georgia Tech head coach Nell Fortner added her second commit of the summer with the addition of Loyal McQueen of Florence, South Carolina. The 5-7 guard was ranked No. 53 by ProspectsNation.com heading into the summer. She joins ELITE 150 Watch List wing AC Carter of Norcross, Georgia, in the Yellow Jackets’ class.
CLAY’s TAKE: McQueen brings a dynamic game to the Flats packed in a wiry frame. In that way, the Elite 100 guard can really put the ball in the basket. McQueen will provide Nell Fortner with a left-hand dominant guard capable of shooting the 3-pointer, attacking off the bounce to hit floaters and a consistency in looking to score the ball from the perimeter. If McQueen can lead the way by getting the Yellow Jackets into sets on the offensive end, that's a major bonus given her penchant for scoring the rock.
Zelaya To Carolina
North Carolina is also under new leadership with former Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart in charge in Chapel Hill. She too has two commitments in the 2020 class with the addition of Alexandera Zelaya of Goodyear, Arizona. The 6-3 forward, who was ranked No. 91 heading into the summer, joins No. 50 Kennedy Todd-Williams of Jacksonville, North Carolina.
HANSEN’s TAKE: Zelaya caught our attention early in her prep career with comparisons to Oregon State forward Taya Corosdale. As her game has developed her ability to play at the high post and on the blocks standout. She’s a mobile big who should be able to play a lot of different roles as she gets stronger in college.
CLAY's TAKE: Zelaya fits the stretch 4 need perfectly. She has ideal length to play high major basketball and she has shooting ability both on the spot up and the bounce. She possesses instinctual defensive ability. She played effectively in a match-up versus Latasha Lattimore last winter at the Nike TOC.
Melious Adds Rutgers Offer
Nicole Melious, a 5-7 guard from Staten Island, New York, recently added an offer from Rutgers on her unofficial visit to campus. The rising freshman at Susan Wagner School (NY) received her first Division I offer over a year ago from Fordham. She helped lead her NY Hoopers team in the PSB Elite 32 Summer Jam to end her summer ball. ProspectsNation.com Director of Scouting Jonathan Hemingway had this to say of her play:
#PSBElite32@hoopersny2022 here to make the most of the week
— Jonathan Hemingway (@CoachHemi) July 25, 2019
'23 G Nicole Melious is a savvy scorer. Already with offers from:
Purdue, Seton Hall, St. John's, Fordham, Denver, Quinnipiac, Manhattan & St. Peter's
Rice & Arkansas here watching nowhttps://t.co/ZsB8Y8HJCe pic.twitter.com/yqsTSbsVCH
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNEDevents. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
