Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney transfers to UConn

Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney has committed to UConn, according to multiple reports.

The All-WCC guard and one of the best players available in the portal visited the Huskies’ campus late last week, in addition to a trip to Kentucky over the weekend. Mahaney also visited Creighton and Virginia before eventually deciding to join Dan Hurley and the back-to-back national champions.

“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,” Mahaney said to ESPN.

Mahaney’s ties to Randy Bennett and the Gaels program ran deep, dating back to when he was a kid growing up in Lafayette, California, less than five miles away from campus. Justin Joyner, who was an associate coach under Bennett before joining Michigan’s coaching staff earlier this month, played a major role in Mahaney’s recruitment coming out of Campolindo High School (CA). Not long after Joyner’s departure, Mahaney entered the transfer portal following two All-WCC selections as the lead guard for Saint Mary’s.

Mahaney burst onto the scene early as a freshman, as he scored 20-plus points in seven games, including 25 in his debut against Oral Roberts. His performance against Gonzaga during his freshman season put him on the national stage after he accounted for 19 of 21 points during an eight-minute stretch in regulation and overtime that led the Gaels to a comeback victory at home. After taking home All-WCC first team honors and leading Saint Mary’s to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, expectations were high heading into his sophomore. 

Through some bumps along the way, Mahaney put together another all-league campaign to help guide the Gaels to back-to-back West Coast Conference regular season championships. He averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 38.6% from the field and 35.5% from downtown. Mahaney averaged 19.7 points and shot 50% from deep in three meetings against the Zags, including a 23-point game in the WCC Championship game.

Now, Mahaney can expect to see Gonzaga at least once with his new team next season. The Zags and Huskies are slated to play the second of a home-and-home series on Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden. It’ll be the third time in the span of 19 months the two programs face off.

UConn will lose four of five starters from last season’s championship team, though Hurley has reloaded in the portal and on the recruiting trails. Mahaney’s commitment comes just a few days after five-star recruit Liam McNeely, the No. 16-ranked recruit on 247Sports, announced he’ll be joining the Huskies after he decommitted from Indiana in March. The Huskies’ 2024 recruiting class also features four-star combo guard Ahmad Nowell (No. 31) and four-star small forward Isaiah Abraham (No. 82).

Along with Michigan transfer Tarris Reed, Hurley has brought in a solid group to mesh with Big East Sixth Man of the Year Hassan Diarra, 6-foot-10 forward Samson Johnson and 6-foot-3 guard Solomon Ball. Despite losing standouts Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer (maybe Alex Karaban too), UConn will likely enter next fall as one of the favorites to cut down the nets for a third straight season.