This past spring, coming off their sixth national championship, the UConn men’s basketball team got back to work immediately. Just as they have the past two offseasons, the Huskies hit the portal with authority, locking down three new players to compliment the returning talent. The first such addition is Aidan Mahaney, a rising junior who transferred from Saint Mary’s. The combo guard was ranked as the Rivals’ 35th best portal prospect, but in a year analysts will likely look at him as a steal.
Without even having to ship off to YouTube to find his highlights, fans might remember Mahaney from his game against UConn during his freshman year. In the NCAA tournament round of 32, Mahaney’s Gaels faced off against the Huskies in the 4-5 matchup. It was far from the freshman’s best night, as he made just 4 of 13 from the field, 1 of 5 from three, totaling 9 points. However, Mahaney is far more than just that game.
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He was a commanding force on the Gaels, averaging 13.9 points each of his two seasons in Moraga, CA, while adding a few rebounds and assists too. This was good enough to earn Mahaney All WCC first team honors twice, the second time as arguably the best player on the best team in the WCC. He was expected to take on a bit more of a star role this past year by analysts from afar, but Mahaney did what he needed to do. His slightly increased volume didn’t result in increased scoring numbers, notably leading to a 5% decrease in his 3-point shooting percentage.
Even with the dip in his accuracy, Mahaney’s shot is one of his strongest features. He doesn’t need a ton of space to get it off and can pull from anywhere within a few feet of the arc if he finds some daylight. He’s an especially effective mid-range shooter, able to attack the defense’s soft spots and punish them in a variety of ways.
Another aspect of the guard’s game that goes often unnoticed is his passing. Augustus Marčiulionis, the son of former Hall of Famer Šarūnas Marčiulionis, took on the lion’s share of the Gaels’ facilitating duties, but in UConn’s offense, there isn’t one passer in the same way. Everyone needs to pitch in, whether it was point guard Tristen Newton or even center Donovan Clingan. Even as Hassan Diarra appears poised to take over as Connecticut’s lead point guard, Mahaney will surprise people with his ability to get the ball moving. He’s going to wow fans with crisp passes into tight windows here and there, helping open the floor up for everyone else.
Along with Mahaney’s passing, he’s also incredibly steady with the ball. After posting a top-400 turnover rate of 13 (turnovers per 100 possessions) during his first go, the Californian slightly improved to 11.8 in his sophomore year. UConn’s Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban and Clingan were all ahead of Mahaney in the stat. The more people on a team take care of the ball, the easier it is for everyone else, so don’t be surprised if Mahaney’s turnovers become even less frequent this year.
Coming off a year where Mahaney was a high-volume shooter–responsible for over a quarter of his team’s shots–he’s going to have to adjust to a Connecticut team that spreads the love equally. Each of the Huskies’ top handful of players had nights where they didn’t command many shots and had to defer. It’s not hard to imagine Mahaney making the change, but he didn’t play a competitive game this year where he took fewer than 8 shots.
All said, Mahaney appears to fit in seamlessly as a Husky. Hurley hasn’t shown to have a type in terms of the type of player he’s looking for, appreciating and getting the most out of each of the unique talents he’s brought to Storrs over the past few years. Whether it’s maximizing Clingan’s rim protection or Andre Jackson Jr.’s energy, he builds the game plan around his squad. With that, it’s easy to imagine Mahaney filling in for a bit of the shooting and basketball IQ/feel that departed with Spencer and passing that left with Newton. He’ll give the team what they need when they need it, which is an important thing for a team to have when some of the gears aren’t turning properly.
In terms of a role, it’s tough to say who is going to be starting after Diarra, Samson Johnson and Karaban. Mahaney has as good an argument as anybody for one of the final two spots. He has the experience, though Solo Ball has been quietly developing on the bench. Whoever doesn’t start will be a key player off the bench on what appears to be a deeper squad than they had last year, potentially closer resembling the 2023 championship team.
Regardless of whether he’s out there to field the opening tip, Mahaney will be a huge piece of the team and their chance for a three-peat. And without him, it’s hard to know if they’d have what it takes to go the distance.
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