Northwestern Women's Basketball Key Player Chooses Transfer Destination

The ex-Wildcat sharpshooter is headed to the ACC.

Northwestern guard Melannie Daley (21) shoots a free throw during a NCAA Big Ten Conference women's basketball game against Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two weeks after entering the transfer portal, former Northwestern shooting guard Melannie Daley has found her next school out east.

Daley, who played four years in Evanston, announced in an Instagram post on Thursday that she had committed to Virginia Tech for a graduate year of eligibility.

Daley played 94 games with the Wildcats, starting 30. The Hastings, New York, native averaged 13.3 points per game as a starter in 2023-24 and 11.7 points per game off the bench in 2024-25, earning a reputation as a mid-range jump shooter that could make shots from anywhere on the floor.

During her sophomore 2022-23 season, Daley played in just nine games, allowing her an extra year of eligibility to transfer to Virginia Tech.

The Hokies reached the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons from 2020-21 to 2023-24, which included an ACC Tournament win and Final Four berth in 2023 and the program's first ACC regular season title in 2024. Head coach Kenny Brooks then left Blacksburg for Kentucky, but Virginia Tech still managed a 19-13 (9-9 ACC) record last season under new coach Megan Duffy.

Virginia Tech last finished under .500 in the 2014-15 season. It'll likely be a transition for Daley, whose lone winning season at Northwestern came in her freshman 2021-22 campaign.

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