By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — With 5:25 left in the fourth quarter, Olivia McGhee headed to Virginia’s bench after picking up her fifth personal foul. Her day was done, but the Cavaliers were comfortably ahead, and the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena showed its appreciation for McGhee’s contributions by showering her with applause.
A 6-foot-2 sophomore from Louisa County, McGhee totaled 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 22 minutes off the bench Sunday afternoon. Only her classmate Kymora Johnson (20 points) scored more for the Wahoos in their 76-47 win over La Salle at JPJ.
McGhee arrived at UVA in June 2023 as a heralded recruit, and she flashed her talent as a freshman, when she started eight games. But inconsistency marked her first college season. She put up 12 points in her college debut and later scored a season-high 22 in a win over Wake Forest, but she went scoreless in eight of Virginia’s final 13 games in 2023-24.
The Hoos are 3-1 after routing the Explorers (1-3). McGhee, who wears jersey No. 0, has yet start a game this season, but she’s scored in double figures three times.
“I feel like this year I’ve just been more comfortable overall, especially in practice,” McGhee said. “I’ve learned the system, I know what’s supposed to happen when it’s supposed to happen, so that kind of gives me the ability to play more freely. I was in a bit of a shooting slump, but I’ve been working hard at practices, and my teammates and my coaches instill confidence in me. I knew it was going to click at some point, it was just a matter of time.”
In 2023-24, McGhee was one of three players on the UVA roster with ties to the Charlottesville area, along with Johnson and forward Sam Brunelle, graduates of St. Anne’s-Belfield and William Monroe High School, respectively.
Brunelle, who had large, loud cheering sections at JPJ, is now playing professionally, but McGhee and Johnson continue to draw support from area residents who’ve been watching them for years.
“It’s been great,” said McGhee, who starred at Louisa County High before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. “I always catch myself looking in the stands and see a bunch of people I know from my hometown, my mom, dad, family members, all of that. So I know the support is real and if I ever needed motivation, I just look up in the…