Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney, a two-time first-team All-West Coast Conference performer, has committed to UConn.

Mahaney is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who is ranked 40th in The Athletic’s best-available transfer list. He averaged 13.9 points per game in each of his two seasons with the Gaels and was known as a tough shot-maker, connecting on 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers in his career.

Mahaney — who grew up within spitting distance of the Saint Mary’s campus and played youth basketball with Gaels coach Randy Bennett’s son — chose the two-time defending national champion Huskies over Kentucky, Virginia and Creighton.

“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,” Mahaney told ESPN.

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UConn must replace at least four starters from its 2023-24 team, as guards Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer are out of eligibility and wing Stephon Castle and center Donovan Clingan declared for the NBA Draft. Alex Karaban is also testing the NBA Draft waters. The Huskies received a commitment on Friday from five-star recruit Liam McNeeley and have also added former Michigan big man Tarris Reed Jr. in the transfer market to go along with top-100 recruits Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham.

Mahaney helped the Gaels to a 53-16 record over the past two seasons. He and Saint Mary’s actually played Connecticut in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies held Mahaney to nine points and won 70-55 en route to their first of the back-to-back titles.

Scouting report

His shooting numbers declined as a sophomore, but he was slightly more efficient because his turnover numbers improved. Mahoney has an elite handle and is clever with the bounce. He has a good feel for playing out of ball screens, and once he gets a step on his defender, he knows how to put his defender in jail and when to explode to the basket. He can finish with both hands around the rim and even shoot floaters with his left (off) hand.

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(Photo: Young Kwak / AP)