Darius McGhee

Darius McGhee (born June 2, 1999) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. He played college basketball for the Liberty Flames.

Darius McGhee
Free agent
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (1999-06-02) June 2, 1999
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeLiberty (2018–2023)
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Career highlights and awards

High school career

McGhee attended Roxboro Community School in Roxboro, North Carolina for three years. His sophomore season was cut short after he broke his arm.[1] As a junior, McGhee emerged as one of the top scorers in the nation. He averaged 36.4 per game, leading the state in scoring, and became the first player in state history to score at least 1,000 points in a single season. McGhee transferred to Blue Ridge School in Saint George, Virginia and helped his team win the VISAA Division II state title.[2]

College career

As a freshman at Liberty, McGhee averaged 7.8 points per game. He averaged 9.5 points and four rebounds per game as a sophomore.[3] On February 27, 2021, McGhee scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–78 win over Bellarmine, matching the program record of eight three-pointers, to claim the ASUN regular season title.[4] He was named ASUN Player of the Year and was a unanimous First Team All-ASUN selection.[5] On March 7, McGhee posted 21 points and eight rebounds in a 79–75 victory over North Alabama at the ASUN tournament final. He was named tournament MVP.[6] As a junior, McGhee averaged 15.5 points, 2.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.[7] On January 15, 2022, he scored a school-record 48 points, including 37 in the second half, in a 78-75 win against Florida Gulf Coast.[8] On February 26, McGhee scored 47 points in a 100-93 overtime win against Kennesaw State.[9] At the close of the 2021–22 season, McGhee was again named ASUN Player of the Year.[10]His 142 three pointers in 2021 is 12th most ever in a single season for Division I basketball.[11]

During his final season of eligibility, McGhee reached several major statistical milestones. First, on November 26, 2022, he passed the 2,000-point milestone for his career.[12] Then, on February 4, 2023, he became the Flames' all-time leading scorer, surpassing Karl Hess, who had played for the Flames from 1976–1980 when Liberty was an NAIA member.[13] On February 22, he became the ASUN's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Willie Jackson, who played for Centenary from 1980–1984 when the ASUN was known as the Trans America Athletic Conference. In the same game, he also became the fourth Division I men's player to score 500 three-pointers in his career.[14][lower-alpha 1] On February 27, 2023, McGhee was named the ASUN Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, earning Centenary's Jackson as the only players in league history to earn the award that many times.[15] He was also named to a third consecutive all-conference first team selection.[15]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, McGhee joined the Indiana Pacers for the 2023 NBA Summer League and on October 17, 2023, he signed with them.[16] However, he was waived the next day.[17]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Liberty 36021.3.384.319.9092.71.1.9.37.8
2019–20 Liberty 343433.0.437.386.8304.01.7.9.19.5
2020–21 Liberty 292930.2.452.408.8544.42.1.8.415.5
2021–22 Liberty 333333.7.456.390.8814.53.61.2.224.6
2022–23 Liberty 363631.9.439.394.8673.33.01.6.222.8
Career 16813229.9.439.384.8683.72.31.1.216.0

See also

Footnotes
  1. In Division I women's basketball, Taylor Robertson of Oklahoma, whose college career has coincided with McGhee's, has also made 500 threes.

References
  1. Blake, J. Mike (February 22, 2016). "Roxboro Community's Darius McGhee enters playoffs with 1,000-point season in sight". The News & Observer. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  2. O'Brien, Patrick (January 31, 2021). "Phenom Alum: Darius McGhee leading the way at Liberty". Phenom Hoop Report. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  3. Jeter, Fred (March 18, 2021). "NCAA: Going to the Big Dance: Liberty University Flames player Darius McGhee rises to occasion". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  4. "McGhee scores 34, Liberty tops Bellarmine to win A-Sun". ESPN. Associated Press. February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  5. Walls, Dave (March 3, 2021). "LU's McKay named ASUN Coach of the Year; McGhee named Player of the Year". WSET-TV. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  6. Smits, Garry (March 7, 2021). "Liberty's Darius McGhee delivers big shots to quell North Alabama rally in ASUN title game". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  7. Welser, Joel (August 4, 2021). "#98 LIBERTY MEN'S BASKETBALL 2021-2022 PREVIEW". College Sports Madness. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  8. "McGhee scores Division I-best 48 as Liberty edges FGCU". ESPN. Associated Press. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  9. "McGhee scores 47, leads Liberty past Kennesaw 100-93 in OT". ESPN. February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  10. "Liberty's McGhee Repeats as Player of the Year; @ASUN_MBB Postseason Awards Announced" (Press release). ASUN Conference. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  11. "3-Point Field Goals Single Season Leaders and Records". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  12. "McGhee Eclipses 2,000 Career Points in Liberty's 80-53 Win Against Delaware State". Liberty.edu. November 26, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  13. "McGhee Sets Program All-Time Scoring Record, Bisons Edge Flames 69-64" (Press release). Liberty Flames. February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  14. "McGhee Sets ASUN All-Time Scoring Record, Liberty Surges Past Queens For 85-77 Win" (Press release). Liberty Flames. February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  15. Robertson, Hayden (February 27, 2023). "Liberty Flames Darius McGhee named ASUN Player of the Year for third straight year" (Press release). ABC13 News. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  16. "Indiana Pacers Announce Roster Moves". NBA.com. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  17. "Indiana Pacers Announce Roster Moves". NBA.com. October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
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