Long before Darius McGhee put his name all over the Liberty University, ASUN Conference and NCAA record books, he was a kid from Roxboro with hoop dreams.
McGhee is the all-time leading scorer at Liberty as well as in the ASUN Conference, he’s second in NCAA history in made 3-pointers with 514 (ahead of names such as J.J. Redick and Stephen Curry), he’s a three-time ASUN Player of the Year honoree and is not done yet.
“I tell (my friends) all the time how grateful I am for the position I’m in, but I have so many friends who are super talented, way more talented enough to play Division I basketball,” McGhee said. “So the culture of basketball (in Roxboro) is always really good.”
Liberty is 25-7 and the No. 2 seed in the ASUN tourney. McGhee’s 29 points in the quarterfinal matchup with Bellarmine helped the Flames coast to a win to advance to the semifinals where they’ll host No. 3 seed Eastern Kentucky Thursday at 7 p.m.
Win that and Liberty will get a shot at punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament in the ASUN championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
Growing up in Roxboro, McGhee and his friends spent their free time playing basketball as much as they could, however they could.
“We were walking from house to house throughout the day while our parents were working– we’re just playing basketball outside all day,” McGhee said. “There aren’t many gyms to get access to, so when people do get access to it it’s like everyone in the city goes to that and runs. So it’s super dog-like competitive growing up. Everybody is somebody on the basketball court.”
As a fifth-year senior exercising his extra year of NCAA eligibility, McGhee was honored for senior night for the second time Friday, Feb. 24 as Liberty took on Queens.
The first time around last year, more than 100 folks from Roxboro came out to celebrate McGhee and his accomplishments. Every Facebook post The Courier-Times makes about McGhee spreads rapidly.
That type of support from his hometown isn’t something McGhee takes lightly, especially after transitioning from Roxboro Community School after three years to Blue Ridge School, an all-boys boarding school outside Charlottesville, Va. for his final two prep seasons.
“To see them still support that movement and understand that transition was needed for me to grow into the best person I could be so I can go back and give them more than what I probably could’ve if I would’ve just stayed (meant a lot),” McGhee said. “So to have that love still even after that goes a long ways and says a lot about the talent.”
As a junior at RCS, McGhee set the NCHSAA all-time record for most points in a single season with 1,057 after averaging 36.4 points per game, also an NCHSAA record.
After an uncharacteristic first half against Queens on senior night, McGhee scored 19 points, all in the second half to help the Flames pull away for the 73-53 win.
“Darius McGhee is one of the best guards in the country, if not one of the best players,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said postgame. “He’s going to get right.”
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