HailStateBEAT: On Jordan Danberry's Breakout Performance

In the section of Mississippi State fans behinds the team bench Friday night, there was a large group of people from Arkansas who there to cheer for one of MSU's unexpected Final Four heroes. The family in question was cheering for the entire team, as well, obviously. But in particular, they traveled to Columbus, Ohio to support a backup guard averaging nine minutes, three points and roughly one rebound per game this year.

So in the second quarter when their daughter/sister/cousin/niece started racking up points, steals, rebounds and momentum shifting breakaways, they were among the few not asking the question on the minds of so many who have been cheering the Bulldogs on all year.

Who is Jordan Danberry?

"Um," Danberry considered when posed with that same rather awkward question. "I love math. I'm a math geek, really."

If her performance was unexpected, so was the answer, at least to those who don't know her. To those who do, to her family in the stands and to her teammates and coaches on the bench, none of it is a surprise.

"People probably don't expect much from her," senior All-American Victoria Vivians said. "She came out last night and proved herself. If anybody had anything to say about her, she came out and proved everybody wrong. She had major buckets, major steals. Jordan Danberry was underrated. Now she's rated. Rated R, she's Ready."

In more ways than one last night, Danberry proved her worth. Her stat line of 10 points, four rebounds, three steals, one assist and 26 minutes of play is impressive enough. But those numbers don't account for her stingy defense, the way she shut down one of the best scorers in the postseason

And the numbers you can track explain why she was the first player at the Final Four to win an individual award, days before anyone else could be named Tournament MVP or Defensive Player of the Tournament. Danberry was recognized on the video board Friday night as the winner of the NCAA Elite 90 award, meaning she has the highest GPA of any player in the Final Four.

And she's doing it as a business economics major. Danberry doesn't even know what she wants to do after her basketball career ends, she just figured that would be a "fun" major because she loves math.

Oh, and video games, too. NBA 2K18, specifically. She loves her family, as well, and was grateful to have them there for her performance.

Speaking of her performance, there's something else she loves that explains why she was out there so long during MSU's overtime win against Louisville: defense. Perhaps nothing makes head coach Vic Schaefer as happy as the fact that Jordan Danberry loves playing defense. It's the means from which all her production comes.

"For me, when I'm locked in on defense, my offense starts rolling. I like to push the ball and get out in transition," she said. "When defense comes to me, offense comes right along with that."

She's good enough at it that, while she sat out for a year after transferring from Arkansas, she became her teammates' least favorite person to face on the scout team every day in practice.

"She's one of those players you don't want guarding you," senior point guard Morgan William said. "I want her on my team. I know Jo. She's going to get out and run, get out and defend. She does it all on the defensive end and she'll get you a layup any moment."

Those layups helped spark an MSU team that was often struggling on both ends Friday night against the Cardinals. Sure, it was senior guard Roshunda Johnson who hit the biggest shot, it was Vivians who scored the most points, and it was senior forward Teaira McCowan who set an NCAA Tournament rebounding record before the first half even ended.

But time and again, it was Danberry who came through with a stop, a score, a rebound or a steal right when State needed it.

"At the end of the night, Jordan really was the difference, I think, in a lot of areas for us," Schaefer said after the game. "Both ends, obviously."

Said Johnson, "I think that her time was last night. You never know who's gonna be big in every game. It's been somebody different every year and every game. You never know."

That the surprise performance came in the biggest game of the year only adds to the excitement for the junior guard from Conway, Arkansas.

"It was an amazing experience just to be able to play on the big stage, in the Final Four, and play that well," Danberry said. "I've been constantly waiting on my time, cheering on my teammates when they do well. It's great to have that returned and have my teammates cheering me on and having confidence in me like that."

Mississippi State University Athletics

HailStateBEAT: On Jordan Danberry's Breakout Performance

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