Clemson lands former Alabama starter in transfer portal

Clemson Women’s Basketball: Loyal McQueen, a former Alabama Crimson Tide starter, has landed with the Clemson Tigers via the transfer portal.

The Clemson women’s basketball team has landed a big commitment via the transfer portal.

The Tigers announced the signing of former Alabama starting point guard and South Carolina native Loyal McQueen in an official social media post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday.

A native of Florence, S.C., McQueen chose Alabama over coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina in 2022. McQueen spent two seasons in Tuscaloosa, where she was the Crimson Tide’s starting point guard in all 34 games in 2023-24, averaging 9.8 points per game in almost 31 minutes a night.

McQueen was part of an Alabama team that won 24 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Texas. A graduate transfer student, McQueen set career highs last season for games played, points scored (332), rebounds (99), assists (105) and steals (25).

In all, McQueen played in 65 games in two seasons for Alabama. The former standout at Wilson High School was the 2020 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.

Tigers coach Shawn Poppie shared his thoughts on Poppie returning to her home state to play for Clemson.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Loyal and her family back home. I’ve known Loyal for quite some time as I recruited her at an early age while I was at Virginia Tech. She’s one of those I’ve always watched and been a fan of from afar due to how strong our relationship was during the initial recruiting process. As Loyal and I reconnected in this process, our relationship together grew even tighter. I believe she is a perfect fit here at the perfect time. She has had a phenomenal college career up to this point, but I truly believe she has so much more to accomplish. I’m thrilled to add her experience and playmaking ability to our backcourt. With that said, I’m confident the Clemson family and the state of South Carolina will be proud of how Loyal will represent our program on and off the court as we welcome her back HOME.”

McQueen becomes the second addition Poppie has made via the transfer portal this week. On Tuesday, the Tigers announced the commitment of sophomore transfer Hannah Kohn, who became a standout shooter at Chattanooga last season. Kohn reunites with Poppie, the former Mocs coach, at Clemson.