Darius McGhee

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Darius McGhee

| image =

| caption = Darius McGhee on the Liberty Flames in 2022

| position = Point guard

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 9

| weight_lbs = 160

| league = Basketball Bundesliga

| team = Telekom Baskets Bonn

| number = 0

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|6|2}}

| birth_place = Roxboro, North Carolina, U.S.

| high_school =

Roxboro Community School
(Roxboro, North Carolina)
Blue Ridge School
(Saint George, Virginia)

| college = Liberty (2018–2023)

| draft_year = 2023

| career_start = 2023

| years1 = 2023–2024

| team1 = Indiana Mad Ants

| years2 = 2024–present

| team2 = Telekom Baskets Bonn

| highlights =

3× ASUN Player of the Year (2021–2023)
3× First-team All-ASUN (2021–2023)
ASUN tournament MVP (2021)

}}

Darius McGhee (born June 2, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Telekom Baskets Bonn of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He played college basketball for the Liberty Flames where he won the ASUN Conference Player of the Year Award three times.

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.{{cite web |last1=Blake |first1=J. Mike |title=Roxboro Community's Darius McGhee enters playoffs with 1,000-point season in sight |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high-school/article61861527.html |website=The News & Observer |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=February 22, 2016}} 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.{{cite web |last1=O'Brien |first1=Patrick |title=Phenom Alum: Darius McGhee leading the way at Liberty |url=https://phenomhoopreport.com/phenom-alum-darius-mcghee-leading-the-way-at-liberty/ |website=Phenom Hoop Report |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=January 31, 2021}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Jeter |first1=Fred |title=NCAA: Going to the Big Dance: Liberty University Flames player Darius McGhee rises to occasion |url=http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2021/mar/18/ncaa-going-big-dance-liberty-university-flames-pla/ |website=Richmond Free Press |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=March 18, 2021}} 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.{{cite web |title=McGhee scores 34, Liberty tops Bellarmine to win A-Sun |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story?id=30974765 |website=ESPN |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=February 27, 2021}} He was named ASUN Player of the Year and was a unanimous First Team All-ASUN selection.{{cite web |last1=Walls |first1=Dave |title=LU's McKay named ASUN Coach of the Year; McGhee named Player of the Year |url=https://wset.com/sports/college-sports/lus-mckay-named-asun-coach-of-the-year-mcghee-named-player-of-the-year |website=WSET-TV |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=March 3, 2021}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Smits |first1=Garry |title=Liberty's Darius McGhee delivers big shots to quell North Alabama rally in ASUN title game |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2021/03/07/darius-mcghee-delivers-liberty-beat-una-asun-title-game/6864845002/ |website=The Florida Times-Union |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=March 7, 2021}} As a junior, McGhee averaged 15.5 points, 2.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.{{cite web |last1=Welser |first1=Joel |title=#98 LIBERTY MEN'S BASKETBALL 2021-2022 PREVIEW |url=https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/19657 |website=College Sports Madness |access-date=October 5, 2021 |date=August 4, 2021}} 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.{{cite news |title=McGhee scores Division I-best 48 as Liberty edges FGCU |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401369252 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=January 15, 2022}} On February 26, McGhee scored 47 points in a 100–93 overtime win against Kennesaw State.{{cite news |title=McGhee scores 47, leads Liberty past Kennesaw 100-93 in OT |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/401369325 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=ESPN |date=February 26, 2022}} At the close of the 2021–22 season, McGhee was again named ASUN Player of the Year.{{cite press release|url=https://asunsports.org/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220213g790oe|title=Liberty's McGhee Repeats as Player of the Year; @ASUN_MBB Postseason Awards Announced|publisher=ASUN Conference |date=March 1, 2022 |accessdate=March 1, 2022}} His 142 three pointers in 2021 is 12th most ever in a single season for Division I basketball.{{Cite web |title=3-Point Field Goals Single Season Leaders and Records |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/leaders/fg3-player-season.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}

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.{{cite news|url= https://www.liberty.edu/flames/news/mcghee-eclipses-2000-career-points-in-libertys-80-53-win-against-delaware-state/ |title= McGhee Eclipses 2,000 Career Points in Liberty’s 80-53 Win Against Delaware State |publisher=Liberty.edu|date= November 26, 2022 |access-date=December 10, 2022}} Then, on February 4, 2023, he became the Flames' all-time leading scorer, surpassing Karl Hess, who had played for the Flames from 1976 to 1980 when Liberty was an NAIA member.{{cite press release |url=https://www.liberty.edu/flames/news/mcghee-sets-program-all-time-scoring-record-bisons-edge-flames-69-64/ |title=McGhee Sets Program All-Time Scoring Record, Bisons Edge Flames 69-64 |date=February 4, 2023 |publisher=Liberty Flames |access-date=February 5, 2023}} On February 22, he became the ASUN's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Willie Jackson, who played for Centenary from 1980 to 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.{{cite press release|url=https://www.liberty.edu/flames/news/mcghee-sets-asun-all-time-scoring-record-liberty-surges-past-queens-for-85-77-win/ |title=McGhee Sets ASUN All-Time Scoring Record, Liberty Surges Past Queens For 85-77 Win |publisher=Liberty Flames |date=February 22, 2023 |access-date=February 24, 2023}}{{efn|In Division I women's basketball, Taylor Robertson of Oklahoma, whose college career has coincided with McGhee's, has also made 500 threes.}} On February 27, 2023, McGhee was named the ASUN Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, joining Centenary's Jackson as the only players in league history to earn the award that many times.{{cite press release|last=Robertson| first=Hayden| url=https://wset.com/sports/college-sports/liberty-university-lynchburg-virginia-flames-mens-basketball-darius-mcghee-named-asun-player-of-the-year-for-third-straight-year-february-2023|title=Liberty Flames Darius McGhee named ASUN Player of the Year for third straight year |publisher=ABC13 News |date=February 27, 2023 |accessdate=February 27, 2023}} He was also named to a third consecutive all-conference first team selection. He ended the season with 162 three-pointers, tying Stephen Curry's NCAA single-season record set in 2008.{{cite web|title=Antoine Davis Ends Year As NCAA Leader In Three Statistics, Including Nation's Leading Scorer|date=April 4, 2023|publisher=University of Detroit Mercy Athletics|url=https://detroittitans.com/news/2023/4/4/mens-basketball-antoine-davis-ends-year-as-ncaa-leader-in-three-statistics-including-nations-leading-scorer.aspx|access-date=September 19, 2024}}

Professional career

=Indiana Mad Ants=

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.{{cite web|title=Indiana Pacers Announce Roster Moves|url=https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/indiana-pacers-announce-roster-moves-231017|website=NBA.com|date=October 17, 2023|access-date=October 18, 2023}} However, he was waived the next day.{{cite web|title=Indiana Pacers Announce Roster Moves|url=https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/indiana-pacers-announce-roster-moves-231018|website=NBA.com|date=October 18, 2023|access-date=October 19, 2023}} On October 28, 2023, he joined the Indiana Mad Ants.{{cite web|title=Mad Ants announce 2023 Training Camp Roster|url=https://fortwayne.gleague.nba.com/news/mad-ants-announce-2023-training-camp-roster|website=NBA.com|date=October 28, 2023|access-date=November 5, 2023}}

=Telekom Baskets Bonn=

On June 10, 2024, McGhee signed with Telekom Baskets Bonn of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL).{{Cite web|url=https://www.telekom-baskets-bonn.de/presse/newsarchiv/pfeilschnell-und-korbgefaehrlich-darius-mcghee-ist-der-neue-point-guard|title=Pfeilschnell und korbgefährlich: Darius McGhee ist der neue Point Guard|last=|first=|date=June 10, 2024|website=telekom-baskets-bonn.de|publisher=|language=de|access-date=June 18, 2024}}