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Mississippi State basketball picks up first transfer commitment of offseason

The Bulldogs are adding a talented scorer from the AAC ranks.
ByAndrew Miller|
Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers guard Ja'Borri McGhee (2) drives to the basket as North Texas Mean Green guard Jasper Floyd (3) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers guard Ja'Borri McGhee (2) drives to the basket as North Texas Mean Green guard Jasper Floyd (3) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Mississippi State basketball is going to need to bring in several transfers to reload the roster for the 2025-2026 season. While their top two scorers are likely to return, there's plenty of production being lost from this year. Over the weekend, the first piece to the transfer class was announced.

UAB transfer guard Ja'Borri McGhee commits to Mississippi State Bulldogs

Sunday night, Mississippi State picked up the commitment of UAB transfer Ja'Borri McGhee. The 6-1, 205 guard started all 37 games for the Blazers as a junior in 2024-2025, averaging 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Ole Miss was considered the other finalist to land McGhee out of the portal.

Ja'Borri McGhee was tied for the third-leading scorer on UAB this season. He posted five 20+ point performances, highlighted by a season-high 27 on a 10-16 shooting performance against FAU. In a home tilt against AAC champion Memphis, McGhee went for 22, shooting 7-10 for the floor and going a season best 4-4 from beyond the arc.

McGhee is a highly efficient scorer, connecting on 51.7% of his field goal attempts. More of a "slasher" type, McGhee does most of his damage at the rim. He prefers to get downhill and drive to the basket. That obviously factors in to a higher field goal percentage, but he is a strong shooter as well. While more selective when it comes to three-point attempts (1.9 attempts per game), he made 40.8% of those shots. On top of this, he's also a capable passer.

A native of McComb, MS, McGhee played high school ball in Winfield, AL. He played JUCO ball for the first two seasons of his college career, first at Garden City CC, averaging 16.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists as a freshman, and then at South Plains CC, averaging 18.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as a sophomore.

This is a strong addition for Chris Jans and the Bulldogs. They needed to find pieces for the backcourt, and McGhee is someone who can play more of a complimentary role to Josh Hubbard. It's possible you could see McGhee take over at the point, allowing Hubbard to play off-ball. Either way, having an efficient scorer in the portal was a necessity. This is a good start to the transfer class.

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