Cozell McQueen
Personal information
Born (1962-01-18) January 18, 1962 (age 62)
Paris, France
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolBennettsville
(Bennettsville, South Carolina)
CollegeNC State (1981–1985)
NBA draft1985: 4th round, 91st overall pick
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career1985–1996
PositionCenter / power forward
Number40
Career history
1985–1986Wisconsin Flyers
1986Kansas City Sizzlers
1986–1987La Crosse Catbirds
1987Detroit Pistons
1987La Crosse Catbirds
1987–1988Tours
1988–1990Paini Napoli
1990–1991Philips Milano
1991–1992CAI Zaragoza
1992–1993Scaini Venezia
1994Rochester Renegade
1996Carolina Cardinals
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Cozell McQueen (born January 18, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. He was part of the NC State side that surprisingly won the 1983 NCAA Tournament.

Though he briefly played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, the majority of his professional career took place in the minor leagues and in Europe. He played as a center.

College career

As a sophomore, McQueen took part in North Carolina State's 1983 NCAA title. He sunk an off-balance shot to tie the overtime game against Pepperdine in the first round of the Tournament.[1] In the semifinal against Georgia, McQueen - who had more playing than usual as the Wolfpack dropped their three-guard lineup - posted a career-high 13 rebounds and added 8 points.[2] In the final against favourites Houston, he had 12 rebounds and 4 points whilst also defending Hakeem Olajuwon as NC State earned an upset win to win the tournament.[1]

He finished his collegiate career in 1985 with 5.3 points and 6 rebounds per game on average.[3]

Professional career

He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 4th round of the 1985 NBA draft, he was waived by the Bucks a week later.[4]

McQueen signed with Spanish side Cacaolat Granollers the same year but was again released, having only played in the Catalan league.[5]

McQueen then moved to the Continental Basketball Association, playing with the Wisconsin Flyers.[6] He was signed as a free-agent by the New York Knicks in August 1986 but was released without playing a competitive game less than two months later.[4] He then returned to play in the CBA.

He averaged 11.9 points and 10.2 rebounds for the La Crosse Catbirds in the CBA for the first-half of the 1986-1987 season. McQueen was signed by the Detroit Pistons in January 1987 on a 10-day contract as an injury replacement for Rick Mahorn.[7] Though he posted 6 points (on 3 for 3 shooting) and 8 rebounds in 7 minutes,[8] he could not find space in a roster containing Adrian Dantley, John Salley and Dennis Rodman and left after 3 games,[9] finishing the season with the Catbirds.

McQueen then moved abroad, returning to his birth country, France, to play for Tours in the Pro A. He had 12 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 37.3 minutes per game for 1987-88.[10]

For the next season, he moved to the Italian Serie A, signing with Paini Napoli. He led the league in blocks with 2.1 per game in 1988-89, adding 16.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in 35.4 minutes. Joining Philips Milano in 1990, he had 10.2 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game.[11]

The American then signed with Spanish side CAI Zaragoza in 1991. He averaged 9 points, 11 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 35 minutes on average in the Liga ACB during 1991-1992.[12]

A return to Italy followed, signing a $800,000 contract with Scaini Venezia. He was replaced by Shelton Jones in February 1993 after posting 9.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in nearly 33 minutes per game.[11][12][13]

He finished his career in the American minor leagues, retiring in 1996.

References

  1. ^ a b "1983 National Champions". NC State Wolfpack. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  2. ^ Peeler, Tim (2 April 1983). "Back to '83: Wolfpack streaks into NCAA title game". NC State Wolfpack. Albuquerque (New Mexico). Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Cozell McQueen". Sports Reference College Basketball. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Cozell McQueen". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  5. ^ Rodríguez, Antonio (17 November 2014). "Momentos épicos: el asalto de los "enanos"" [Epic moments: the attack of the "dwarves"]. espacioligaendesa.com (in Spanish). Liga ACB. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. ^ Uschan, Michael V. (15 February 1986). "Wisconsin has 3 pro cage teams. Wisconsin fields three pro basketball teams". United Press International. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  7. ^ "For the record". The Washington Post. 8 January 1987. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  8. ^ "40 - Cozell McQueen (Detroit Pistons)". NBA. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Pistons.com All-Time Teams". Detroit Pistons. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Cozell McQueen". Ligue Nationale de Basket (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Profilo" [Profile]. Lega Basket Serie A (in Italian). Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Historial estadístico - McQueen, Cozell" [Statistical history - McQueen, Cozell]. Liga ACB (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  13. ^ Viberti, Giorgio (9 February 1996). "Respinta la richiesta d'amministrazione controllata per il più vecchio club di A di basket. La Reyer Venezia dichiarata fallita. Ha debiti per 17 miliardi e rischia di scomparire" [The controlled administration request for the oldest [Serie] A club is rejected. Reyer Venezia declares bankruptcy. It has debts of 17 billion and risks disappearing]. La Stampa (in Italian). Venice. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
Categories