McGhee Cherishes The Minutes He’s Worked Years For
November 06, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
First-year Bulldog provided a huge spark in State’s season-opening win.
STARKVILLE – Ja'Borri McGhee wasn't used to coming off the bench. The Mississippi State senior guard and transfer from UAB had always been a starter, wherever he's been.
But there McGhee was on Wednesday night in the Bulldogs' season opener, waiting his turn as a reserve. It was fine though.
McGhee – a Mississippi native by way of McComb – had already spent years working for his moment to play college basketball at a big-time school. Another minute or two of waiting wasn't a problem.
"All my life, I've wanted to play at the highest level," McGhee said. "I had a couple of obstacles I had to jump over and run through, but I finally did it. I got to be here back at home, playing in front of my family."
Not just playing but shining.
Less than four minutes into the contest, McGhee was on the floor. By the second half, he was the straw stirring the drink to help Mississippi State overcome a nine-point deficit to top North Alabama 86-62.
McGhee finished the evening with 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals over 23 minutes of action. He led his team in plus-minus, indicating when McGhee was on the floor, the Bulldogs were thriving.
Was head coach Chris Jans surprised at just how impactful McGhee was?
"No, I'm not surprised at all," Jans shared. "He's a big, strong guard, and he's an SEC athlete. He's played college basketball for three years. He's got a lot of pride. He's got pride in his game, and he's got pride on the defensive end. He's been very coachable, and he's been good in the [exhibitions and on Wednesday night]. Obviously, this is the only one that counts, but he just looks like he's ready to go on the court when it's gametime. As long as he keeps doing that, he's going to have a lot of minutes for us."
The best example of McGhee's game-changing abilities came after halftime. With State down 51-42, a Shawn Jones Jr. 3-pointer off a McGhee assist began a 15-0 MSU run.
McGhee kept his foot on the gas pedal during the surge. A steal led to a fast-break layup that pulled State within three points. Another assist allowed Josh Hubbard to sink a game-tying trey. McGhee closed out the rally with a pair of free throws. Suddenly the Dawgs were up by six, never trailed again and pulled away.
It might not have happened if not for the spark provided by McGhee.
"He doesn't really even know what all he's capable of," Hubbard said of McGhee. "I give him advice every day and let him know what's in him. His athleticism showed up [Wednesday night] on both sides of the ball."
Added State forward Sergej Macura on McGhee: "He just gave us that burst of energy we needed. Like [Hubbard] said, [McGhee] doesn't know how good he is, but when he turns that switch on, there's no stopping him as everyone could see. It was incredible. He had an energy everyone could feed off of. Everyone felt it."
Talk about an instant impact. For McGhee, it was all so very special because of his path that led to it.
Out of high school, McGhee went the junior college route – first at Garden City Community College in Kansas before spending a season at South Plains College in Texas. Then came last year at UAB, but McGhee wanted more.
He found it back in his home state with Jans and the Bulldogs, and McGhee is full of gratitude for the chance to wear his Maroon and White.
"Just having my last name on this jersey, it just means a lot," McGhee said. "I haven't really even been able to be home these last four years, and now, being able to play here and do this at the highest level – I'm not sad anymore. Like, I'm at peace."
For McGhee, his wait is over. His time has finally arrived. And if Wednesday was any indication, he's not settling. He's working for many more special moments in the months to come.
"No days off, no plays off for me," McGhee said with a smile.
