NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Spokane Practice

Saint Mary's transfer Aidan Mahaney committed to two-time defending national champion UConn on Monday. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard led the Gaels with 13.9 points per game and made the All-West Coast Conference first team in 2023-24. "I chose UConn because I want to compete for national championships," Mahaney told ESPN. "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." Mahaney burst onto the scene as a freshman by shooting 40 percent from 3-point range for the Gaels. In 69 games (60 starts) at Saint Mary's, he averaged 13.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. With Mahaney's help, Saint Mary's won the WCC regular season and conference tournament titles in 2023-24 and earned its third straight NCAA Tournament berth, earning a No. 5 seed. The Gaels lost their first-round game to 12th-seeded Grand Canyon. Mahaney also visited Creighton and Virginia before committing to coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies. "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," Mahaney told ESPN. "... 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." --Field Level Media