Saint Mary’s Sharpshooter Off to Storrs

The Story: Dan Hurley has landed a commitment from another transfer as Aidan Mahaney, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard at Saint Mary’s, has decided to transfer to UConn.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Mahaney, who will be a junior in the fall, shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range over his first two seasons and is a high-volume shooter who attempted six 3-pointers a game. He’ll fill a void on the perimeter left by the departures of Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer (and potentially Alex Karaban, depending on his NBA Draft decision).

• A native of Lafayette, Calif., Mahaney averaged 13.9 points per game as a freshman and again as a sophomore, when he led the Gaels in scoring. (Fun fact: He started, played 37 minutes and scored nine points against the Huskies in the NCAA Tournament game last season.)

• Mahaney took an official visit to UConn late last week before heading to Kentucky over the weekend. He also had considered Virginia and Creighton in his second spin on the recruitment roulette.

• A three-star prospect in the Class of 2022, Mahaney is ranked No. 17 in 247Sports‘ list of the best transfers and No. 18 by ESPN.

HOW DOES HE FIT? Regardless of Karaban’s decision, Mahaney seems likely to join the Huskies’ starting lineup and play a big role from his first game. Think Spencer, only with a bit more uncertainty about his trash-talking game.

• Mahaney’s a willing facilitator (he averaged 2.6 assists per game) and a playmaker who doesn’t seem to attack the boards as well as Spencer does. But he has range and has said part of his desire to choose UConn was because he thinks Hurley and the coaching staff will give him offensive responsibilities he didn’t have with the Gaels.

WHAT DID MAHANEY SAY? “The coaching staff doesn’t rebuild at UConn. They reload. there’s no tiptoeing 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.”

WHAT’S NEXT? After landing former Michigan center Tarris Reed Jr. two weeks ago, top-20 high school forward Liam McNeeley on Friday and Mahaney yesterday, the Huskies have one more scholarship open — but may be just about done.

• The Huskies also hosted Koby Brea, a 6-foot-6 shooter from Dayton, on an official visit last week, and at one point he apparently narrowed his options to UConn and Duke. But he apparently took Duke off his list, and CBS Sports reported last night that UConn won’t add anyone else until Karaban makes his decision, meaning the door could be closed on Brea.

— Zac Boyer

Morning Reads

• Even though the Bucks are struggling in the playoffs, Andre Jackson has emerged as one of their bright spots, with coach Doc Rivers raving about the former UConn guard for his postseason performance.

• Former Oregon State center Raegan Beers has chosen to transfer to Oklahoma instead of UConn, where she would have been penciled in as a starter. Beers, from Colorado, emphasized her hometown in her announcement, so geography may have played a significant factor.

• Ines Bettencourt has found her next destination, as the guard from the Azores will transfer from UConn to Gonzaga — a good situation for her, though far, far from home.

• Sue Bird played 19 seasons for the Seattle Storm, so she said it was only natural for her to become one of the team’s owners when speaking about her decision yesterday.

Top photo: Dan Hurley during the season-opening win over Stonehill in 2022. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)