Megan Queen Orton

It is easy to spot assistant coach Megan Queen Orton when the Fannin County High School girls are standing in front of the Lady Rebels bench. At 6 feet, three inches, Megan can look down physically at her charges as she delivers instructions. She recently completed her third season as Coach Ryan Chastain’s chief lieutenant. Megan’s height, along with a considerable amount of talent, served her well during her career at Fannin County High from 2003 through 2007. She was a formidable scorer, rebounder and shot blocker as a player in Blue Ridge. At Fannin, Megan finished just short of the 1,000 career point club by scoring 972 points during her playing days. She led her teams in rebounding and blocked shots for three seasons. She was named as the team Best Offensive Player in 2004-5 and 2005-6 and as the team Most Valuable Player in 2006-7. She was elected team captain as a senior. On a team level, the Lady Rebels finished as state runners-up in 2003-4 and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2006-7. Following graduation from Fannin, Megan was awarded a basketball scholarship by Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. She put together a solid basketball career at Shorter from 2007 through 2012. She was an active player four seasons and was a medical redshirt in 2009-10. In her role as a post player she had four-year totals of 685 points, 637 rebounds and 184 blocked shots. She was named to the conference All-Freshman team in 2007-8, was selected as the team Most Improved Player in 2008-9 and was the recipient of the Champion of Character award in 2011-12. She received recognition as a conference All-Academic selection during her last two years. During the interregnum between college graduation in 2012 and landing employment as a teacher and coach in Fannin County, Megan found time to teach and coach at Ranger NC Middle School and to earn her Master’s and Specialist degrees from Piedmont College. In addition to her coaching duties with the Fannin High Lady Rebels, she also mans a post as a third-grade teacher in Blue Ridge. When asked about her duties as Fannin assistant coach, Megan responds that she handles any chores assigned to her by Coach Chastain. She devotes some time to offense, some time to defense and some time as a counselor or advisor to a group of 15 or so teenage young ladies. She loves her job and is reluctant to predict precisely what the future might hold for her in the coaching profession. For now she is deeply committed to the Lady Rebels and counts the team’s march to the state championship game in 2021 as her greatest thrill. On December 11, 2021, the 2022 Hall of Fame inductees were introduced at a Fannin County High basketball game. When Megan’s name was announced, all of the members of the current Lady Rebels basketball team rushed to center court and engulfed Megan in a manifestation of affection and respect. The action spoke volumes about just how much assistant coach Orton means to the young ladies. Megan Queen married Rogan Orton on May 21, 2021. It is a mixed marriage since Rogan was a football standout at Copper Basin High. Megan and Rogan, however, have successfully bridged the gap and are currently happily settled in their home across the state lines in the neutral territory of North Carolina.