FAIRFAX, Va. — Through two seasons of college basketball, George Mason transfer guard Makhai Valentine's teams have combined for 18 wins. But don't get it twisted: the gritty, deadeye shooter from Munhall, Pa., is ready to change that wearing the Green & Gold.

"I'm super excited to win here, to be honest, because it's time for me to flip that switch and let the world know not only that I'm a good basketball player, but I'm also one that wins," said Valentine. "The winning culture that Coach Skinn has built … that's major. So of course that's something I wanted to be a part of."

Nearly 10 years before arriving in Fairfax as one of the best mid-major scorers available in the transfer portal this past offseason, Valentine's basketball journey began in middle school, when he moved back to Pittsburgh from Norristown, Pa. Prior to that second stint in the Steel City, Valentine had first flashed his athletic gifts on the rugby pitch, not the hardwood.

"My teacher, actually, was the one who put me into rugby," said Valentine. "It was something I actually became really good at, and I was an all-American at 12 years old. But I moved to Pittsburgh in seventh grade — and I always played basketball growing up — but I didn't necessarily take it seriously until around eighth or ninth grade, and that's when I realized I could possibly have a shot at playing college basketball."

From that point on, Valentine became one of the best players in an impressive Pittsburgh basketball talent pool. A three-time all-state selection, he earned 3A Player of the Year accolades from the Pennsylvania Sports Writers as a senior at Steel Valley High School after averaging 33.7 points per game and leading his school to the state semifinals.

His scoring dominance, combined with his rugby-level tenacity, helped the Ironmen rack up wins, while his jaw-dropping windmill and 360 dunks turned Steel Valley games into can't-miss events and earned him the nickname 'Sky High,' coined by Pittsburgh Union-Progress writer Steve Rotstein.

"He'd never really seen anybody jump out the gym as much as me, I guess," said Valentine.

Valentine's high school resume — including a 63-point effort in a game against Brentwood High School (the third-highest total in WPIAL history), and a game-winning buzzer-beater against Seton LaSalle in the 2023 WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals, which Valentine cites as his fondest basketball memory to date — made him a local legend, but it didn't draw the attention of any power-conference schools.

After a post-graduate year at Link Year Prep in Branson, Mo., in 2023-24, Valentine took his talents to Missouri State, where he dealt with injuries and struggled to find consistent playing time before transferring to Northern Illinois for the 2025-26 campaign.
Valentine firmly established himself at the collegiate level last season, averaging 13.3 points per game for the Huskies on 35.8 percent shooting from three-point range. Now, he's ready to take on any challenge to help continue the Patriots' winning ways — including coming off the bench, where the coaching staff believes he can make a huge impact.

"It's the old saying: it's not who starts, it's who finishes," said George Mason associate head coach Steve Curran. "I think Makhai will be comfortable in any role that he gets, but I know he's very comfortable coming off the bench and he can give us a lift. He can give us scoring, give us rebounding. He'll be on the floor a lot late in games, and I think he's going to be very effective no matter what we ask him to do."

Valentine views the role as an opportunity.

"I'm aiming to be A10 Sixth Man of the Year," said Valentine. "I feel like [coming off the bench] is a great thing for me, because I'm a guy who brings in a different level of energy to the game. Coming off the bench, I just focus on my job, which is to bring that energy once I get in the game."

A major part of Valentine's energy is channeled into crashing the glass. Despite his 6-foot-3 stature, Valentine grabbed 5.3 rebounds per game last season — the second-most on NIU — a skill he credits to playing pick-up against grown men in Pittsburgh.

"I've always played with people older than me, so when you're the young guy on the court, you're not getting a lot of shots," said Valentine. "When you go get the rebound, that's your chance to shoot the ball. That's how I pretty much looked at it. The more rebounds I get, the more opportunities I get to shoot the ball."

That hard-nosed style he built playing pick-up in Pittsburgh has stood out to the Patriots coaching staff this offseason.

"He fits where he's from," said Curran. "I love the city of Pittsburgh — it's a blue-collar city — and he fits that profile."

Like the multi-faceted basketball skill set Valentine will debut at EagleBank Arena this year — George Mason tips off its season at home against UMBC on Nov. 2 — the Pennsylvania product prides himself on being a man of many talents off the court. When he's not knocking down threes or soaring above big men for rebounds, you'll often find Valentine in the kitchen.

"I cook everything," said Valentine. "I have a culinary license, actually. One year, I think it was my freshman year of high school, I knew my mom was pretty tired from work and all that, so I just cooked Thanksgiving dinner. We had a whole chicken and everything. It was actually pretty easy."

That willingness to embrace new challenges has made Valentine a welcome addition to the George Mason locker room. And while his role in the Patriots' Thanksgiving meal preparations is still to be determined, one thing is for sure: Valentine is ready to make a major impact on the court and help stack wins for NOVA's Team.

"He's a great kid," said Curran. "His teammates like him … they respect him … he's fun-loving. You can joke with him, but you can coach him hard, which is always a good thing. He doesn't take it personally; he knows that you're trying to help him, and he's a very coachable kid. He's a big part of George Mason basketball this year and hopefully for the years to come."