UTC Women’s Hoops Add Two Guards on Signing Day

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball coach Jim Foster announced the addition of two guards to the 2015-16 roster.

Molly Melton, a 5-4 point guard from the Webb School of Knoxville, was selected the Division II State Championship game MVP in the Spartan’s win over Franklin Road Academy for their third state title in her freshman year. She scored 17 points in the win and also helped the team to a ninth region title.

“Molly can run the team,” Foster said. “She’s a little general on the floor. She’s undersized, but tough as nails.”

As a freshman, she was named to the PrepXtra Girls Second Team and the Knoxville News Sentinel and KIL Basketball Coaches Association’s All-KIL First Teams. She was an All-Region performer and named to the Tennessee Sports Writer’s Association (TSWA) All-State team and received Division II East/Middle Region MVP honors.

Nakeia Burks, a 5-10 guard from Huntsville High School joined the varsity in her freshman season. She is a two-time All-City Second Team selection. In her junior year she was named to the All-Region Tournament team and the All-Area 10 Team.

“In the spring, NaKeia is running the 100m and the 200m,” Foster said. “I like that she plays multiple sports. They’ve not spent the year playing basketball. They’ve spent the season playing basketball.”

She played AAU ball for the Alabama Southern Starz the summers of her freshman and sophomore seasons. She is a member of the Chemistry Club, the Senior Chicks and carries a 3.5 GPA.

The pair join transfer Queen Alford who joined the team at the start of the semester.

“Fortunately for us we had already scored a significant coupe with the transfer of Queen Alford,” Foster said. “Molly and NaKeia will fit in well with what we are trying to do.”

Queen was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year in 2012-13 and is a two-time all-conference selection. She led the team in scoring as a sophomore with 13.2 points per game and averaged 2.1 steals per game, second in the A-Sun. She was second on the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game and posted her first double-double of the year with 24 points and 13 boards against Tennessee State. As a freshman she averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and scored a season-high 25 points in the Dolphins’ win over USC Upstate.