Mississippi
Mississippi State basketball lands UAB guard Ja’Borri McGhee in transfer portal over Ole Miss
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball has landed its first commitment from the transfer portal this year.
UAB guard Ja’Borri McGhee committed to the Bulldogs and coach Chris Jans on Sunday. He announced it with social media posts one day after narrowing his list to MSU and Ole Miss.
McGhee, listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, averaged 11.1 points per game with 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds in his one season with the Blazers. He shot 40.8% from 3, but on 1.9 attempts per game. McGhee played at Garden City Community College as a freshman in 2022-23 and at South Plains Community College as a sophomore.
McGhee is a McComb native but played high school basketball at Winfield in Alabama.
He was a junior this season but could potentially get eligibility back from the two seasons in junior college.
What Ja’Borri McGhee brings to Mississippi State
McGhee is a welcomed addition to an MSU roster that’s experiencing a lot of turnover after reaching a third consecutive NCAA tournament. That’s especially true with star Josh Hubbard’s pending decision of whether to return next season or enter the NBA draft.
If Hubbard doesn’t return, Mississippi State will lose seven of its top eight scorers. The one returner, KeShawn Murphy, is a forward. Mississippi State has a lot of attrition at guard with Claudell Harris Jr. out of eligibility and Riley Kugel and Kanye Clary transferring away. It signed four-star freshman shooting guard King Grace and returns freshman three-star Dellquan Warren.
McGhee isn’t an elite 3-point shooter but is still able to produce big scoring games. He was tied for third on UAB in scoring and had at least 20 points in five games. McGhee also averaged 1.1 steals per game, which would’ve been tied for second on Mississippi State. UAB lost to Memphis in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game and reached the NIT quarterfinals.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.