Mississippi State guard Jordan Danberry granted another year of eligibility

STARKVILLE – When Jordan Danberry walked off the court at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, after Mississippi State lost to Oregon in the Elite Eight in March, she headed to the Bulldogs' locker room to take off her maroon and white jersey for what she presumed would be the final time. 

It wasn't. 

Tuesday night, the NCAA granted Danberry another year of eligibility. Danberry transferred to Mississippi State in January 2017 after playing just six games as a sophomore at Arkansas. She was not able to redshirt during the 2017-18 season. She made her MSU debut as a junior on Dec. 10, 2017. 

After two full seasons in Starkville, Danberry gets a third. She graduated from the university last December and will now pursue a Master's degree. She was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll last season. 

"I’m grateful for the opportunity to play another year at Mississippi State while I work towards finishing my MBA," Danberry said. "This team means a lot to me, and I’m honored and excited to get back on the court. I’d like to thank the coaches and the compliance department for helping me, as well as the NCAA for granting me another year of eligibility."

Danberry was arguably head coach Vic Schaefer's most improved player last year. She averaged 2.8 points per game in her first year in his program but upped that total to 13.1 points per game last season. 

Danberry also had 65 steals, which was second on the team behind then-senior and starting point guard Jazzmun Holmes. Danberry grabbed 112 rebounds. She was the only guard on the roster to eclipse the century mark in that category. 

She's a do-it-all type player Schaefer is glad to have back for one more season. 

"I’m really excited for Jordan and our basketball team today," Schaefer said. “I’m appreciative of our compliance staff here for the job they did in presenting her case, and I appreciate the NCAA’s findings on this. I think it’s fair. Jordan has really only played two full seasons in her career.

"What she adds to this program, team and university is something really special. What a blessing it is to be able to get that fourth year and be able to play on the team we currently have. This instantly impacts our program as we continue to compete for Championships.”

Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!