UConn men’s basketball lands former Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney out of transfer portal
The UConn men’s basketball team has made another major transfer portal addition.
Former Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney announced his commitment to the back-to-back champs with an Instagram post Monday.
A 6-foot-3 rising junior with two years of eligibility remaining, Mahaney averaged 13.9 points in each of his last two seasons while shooting 40.7% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc over his career. The Gaels’ leading scorer added 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season while shooting 35.5% on 6.9 3-point attempts per game. He shot 40% on 5.3 3-point attempts per game as a freshman.
Mahaney, twice named All-West Coast Conference and one of the best guards in the portal, also visited Kentucky, Virginia and Creighton before ultimately choosing the Huskies.
“I chose UConn because I want to compete for national championships,” Mahaney told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Jonathan Givony, who reported the news first. “UConn is a place that keeps the main thing the main thing. The coaching staff has proven themselves to be the best in the country the last two years. Offensively with Luke Murray, I’ll be in a different system that should allow my game to grow even more. And defensively with Kimani Young, I’ll be challenged to become the best I can be. Coach Hurley will push me to be the best player I can be and I can’t wait to pick his brain and the rest of the staff. Every subsection from managers to grad assistants and DOBOs all work incredibly hard and are detailed down to a T with everything.
“I chose UConn to be pushed, to be a part of something bigger than myself, to compete for a national championship and to become a pro.”
UConn fans got their first glimpse of Mahaney in Albany last March, when the Huskies took down Saint Mary’s in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before going on to win the 2023 national title. He finished that game tied for the team-high with nine points, plus a steal and an assist as UConn rolled to a 70-55 victory.
The versatile guard is the third addition to the Huskies roster as Dan Hurley and staff anticipate a number of departures for the professional ranks; four of the five starters have already announced their plans. Both Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle are set to leave college early as projected lottery picks in the NBA Draft, while Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer are also looking to get drafted with their eligibility expired.
UConn is still awaiting an important decision from “brain center” Alex Karaban, who is testing the waters while retaining his eligibility for a potential return to Storrs, which would immediately improve the program’s chances to win a third title in a row. Senior Hassan Diarra, the Big East Sixth Man of the Year, also has yet to announce whether he’ll take advantage of his fifth year of eligibility.
“The coaching staff doesn’t rebuild at UConn, they reload,” Mahaney told ESPN. “There is no tip-toeing around the fact that the program is going for it all again, and I am ready to be a part of that journey towards continued greatness. One game at a time, obviously, but the goals at UConn are set the moment you walk into the facilities. National champs.”
The Huskies added a third member to their 2024 recruiting class, which already included a pair of four-stars in guard Ahmad Nowell and forward Isaiah Abraham, when five-star Liam McNeeley announced his commitment Friday. They also signed Michigan transfer Tarris Reed Jr., a big man who they hope can form another two-headed monster with Samson Johnson in the frontcourt.
Dayton transfer Koby Brea, the best 3-point shooter in the nation last season, is another target for the Huskies. He visited over the weekend and is reportedly visiting Kentucky this week.
