Aidan Mahaney

[DogMania]

yeahhh i dont either. i realize mahaney averaged over 30 mpg as a starter for the past 2 seasons but he wasnt playing at UConn. he can still get 25mpg off the bench.

I feel like many are getting too caught up with who starts, how many minutes each player will get, and that the rotation can only be eight players deep.

It seems like Hurley is recruiting a number of players who can play multiple positions. That being the case, I don't see issues in going 9 or 10 deep, where some players will get more minutes than others in any given game.

There are some players who can play the 1 or 2. There will be some who can play the 2, 3 and maybe even the 4, such as Karsban and Stewart. And even the two bigs, can probably play at the same time as long as they're not in major foul trouble.

With that said, if any of the players Hurley is recruiting now are bent on getting a promise that they'll be starting and getting major minutes, will not end up Landing here. All players need to earn their minutes at UConn.

 

[gsmooth]

yeahhh i dont either. i realize mahaney averaged over 30 mpg as a starter for the past 2 seasons but he wasnt playing at UConn. he can still get 25mpg off the bench.

This is one of the weaknesses of St. Mary's-it was their lack of depth.

 

[Mr. French]

among the 9 rotation players who's unhappy in the below scenario? nowell and ball?
if Nowell is as good as advertised then it could end up being closer to a 22/18mpg split for Diarra/Nowell.
if Ball shows improvement then he can steal 1 or 2 mins each from Mahaney/McNeeley and get him up to 18-20mpg as well.
nothing is guaranteed. stairway to 7.

Diarra 25 / Nowell 15
McNeeley 10 / Mahaney 15 / Ball 15
Stewart 15 / McNeeley 15 / Mahaney 10
Karaban 30 / Stewart 10
Reed 20 / Johnson 20

30: Karaban
25: Diarra / McNeeley / Mahaney / Stewart
20: Reed / Johnson
15: Nowell / Ball

Bench: Ross / Abraham / Singare

I think Ball is between 20-25 so maybe drop a few mins from a guy or two there but I overall agree they can work with an 8-9 man rotation of guys who are bought in between 15-30 minutes per game.

 

[Mr. French]

The minutes would be tight on paper if Karaban, Diarra, McNeeley, and Mahaney/Brea were all here, but all it takes is one injury or one player having a bad season to open things up. Despite how the last two years have gone, these things almost always happen too. Convincing the entire group to buy into these roles is much easier said than done, but more than likely the minutes would figure themselves out and you wouldn’t be saying “there’s not enough minutes to go around” come December.

Agreed. Especially if the guys commit given those discussions.

 

[dennismenace]

He will. That shot will start falling and our perimeter defense with Diarra, Nowell, and Ball will be ferocious.

Not quite as long as the past but very very athletic with speed. Can someone please comment on Nowell's and Abraham's speed (with maybe a comparison or so)?

 

[navery12]

among the 9 rotation players who's unhappy in the below scenario? nowell and ball?
if Nowell is as good as advertised then it could end up being closer to a 22/18mpg split for Diarra/Nowell.
if Ball shows improvement then he can steal 1 or 2 mins each from Mahaney/McNeeley and get him up to 18-20mpg as well.
nothing is guaranteed. stairway to 7.

Diarra 25 / Nowell 15
McNeeley 10 / Mahaney 15 / Ball 15
Stewart 15 / McNeeley 15 / Mahaney 10
Karaban 30 / Stewart 10
Reed 20 / Johnson 20

30: Karaban
25: Diarra / McNeeley / Mahaney / Stewart
20: Reed / Johnson
15: Nowell / Ball

Bench: Ross / Abraham / Singare

Ball and Ross are unhappy in that scenario, especially if Ball is only getting 15 minutes. Which isn't a reason to not do it, I think you can carve out enough minutes for Ball and whoever comes in between Brea or Mahaney as long as you can convince someone to come off the bench. Ross is a tougher sell though

 

[FlexOnEm]

among the 9 rotation players who's unhappy in the below scenario? nowell and ball?
if Nowell is as good as advertised then it could end up being closer to a 22/18mpg split for Diarra/Nowell.
if Ball shows improvement then he can steal 1 or 2 mins each from Mahaney/McNeeley and get him up to 18-20mpg as well.
nothing is guaranteed. stairway to 7.

Diarra 25 / Nowell 15
McNeeley 10 / Mahaney 15 / Ball 15
Stewart 15 / McNeeley 15 / Mahaney 10
Karaban 30 / Stewart 10
Reed 20 / Johnson 20

30: Karaban
25: Diarra / McNeeley / Mahaney / Stewart
20: Reed / Johnson
15: Nowell / Ball

Bench: Ross / Abraham / Singare

Ball, obviously. He was buried on the bench the second half of the season after showing he’s capable of being in the rotation. We were just that good last season. If he’s only getting 15 minutes while Mahaney gets 25, he won’t be happy and I don’t blame him. Now picture that rotation minus Karaban…

Diarra 25/Nowell 15
Mahaney 25/Ball 15
Stewart 20/Ball 10/McNeeley 10
McNeeley 20/Stewart 10/Johnson 10
Reed 25/Johnson 15

That makes much more sense, logistically. That’s not to say I don’t want Karaban back…it’s just to say our offers out there make more sense if next year’s roster doesn’t include him.

 

[bendm]

think Ball is between 20-25 so maybe drop a few mins from a guy or two there

if Ball ends up playing 25 mpg then great, he would have earned it, but that most likely means he's playing more than TWO of McNeeley, Mahaney, and Stew, and I wouldnt go into the season assuming Ball plays more than any of those guys, even if it could shake out that way.

 

[bendm]

Ball, obviously. He was buried on the bench the second half of the season after showing he’s capable of being in the rotation. We were just that good last season. If he’s only getting 15 minutes while Mahaney gets 25, he won’t be happy and I don’t blame him. Now picture that rotation minus Karaban…

Diarra 25/Nowell 15
Mahaney 25/Ball 15
Stewart 20/Ball 10/McNeeley 10
McNeeley 20/Stewart 10/Johnson 10
Reed 25/Johnson 15

That makes much more sense, logistically. That’s not to say I don’t want Karaban back…it’s just to say our offers out there make more sense if next year’s roster doesn’t include him.

sure it makes more logistical sense but that team just isnt scary. if we lose karaban then i'm hoping we replace him with a starter better than Mahaney, like Traore. Or we get Mahaney AND Brea.

 

[REB1094]

I think the only time I’ve watched Saint Mary’s in the last 2 years is when we played them in the tournament

Quick check of his physical profile and box score is..meh. 6’3 180lbs, low FG%, volume three point shooter but dropped 4.5 percentage points last year.

Genuine question (not being a jerk) - are we recruiting him as a backup plan if we don’t get Brea?

 

[JT-55]

A guard will be added to this roster. I don't believe you can go into the season with Ball as the only option at the 2 guard spot. A Diarra/Nowell/Ball/Mahaney backcourt gives you alot of versatility.

 

[boog204]

On paper we will have some depth... But let's be realistic and say that DH typically only goes 8 deep with sometimes a 9th guy getting a minute of two. That 9th guy became Ball who barely played in the tournament stretch outside of garbage time. I'd be surprised if we only had one guy getting 30mpg as some of you laid out.

 

[bendm]

That’s not to say I don’t want Karaban back…it’s just to say our offers out there make more sense if next year’s roster doesn’t include him.

sure it makes more logistical sense but that team just isnt scary. if we lose karaban then i'm hoping we replace him with a starter better than Mahaney, like Traore. Or we get Mahaney AND Brea.

if we lose AK i'm not even sure how good a 9 man rotation with Mahaney AND Brea would be. It's a really small team. our 2 bigs would be the only guys over 6'7.

Diarra 22 / Nowell 18
Mahaney 25 / Ball 15
Brea 25 / McNeeley 10 / Ball 5
Stewart 25 / McNeeley 15
Reed 20 / Johnson 20

25: Mahaney / Brea / McNeeley / Stewart
22: Diarra
20: Ball / Reed / Johnson
18: Nowell

 

[FlexOnEm]

sure it makes more logistical sense but that team just isnt scary. if we lose karaban then i'm hoping we replace him with a starter better than Mahaney, like Traore. Or we get Mahaney AND Brea.

What am I missing? A starting lineup of Diarra, Ball, Stewart, McNeeley, and Samson with Nowell, Mahoney, and Reed off the bench isn’t scary? That’s easily a top 10 team. Point out a weakness in that rotation.

 

[UconnU]

How about the possibility of an Aiden Mahaney/ Liam McNeeley tandem? The Irish in me would love that

With Karaban, Murray, Hurley, Calhoun floating around….are we approaching too much Irish?

 

[McLovin]

Mahaney brings more to the table than Brea.

Brea is an elite catch-and-shoot option. He hits 1/2 of his three-point attemps and over 80% of his field-goal attempts are from three.

Mahaney isn't as strong of a perimeter shooter as Brea (almost no one is), but can hit threes, but also score in a variety of ways. Out of the two, I'd prefer Mananey.

Regardless is Karaban returns, if we land McNeeley we will have (at least) 2 snipers on next years between McNeeley and Ball.

Because of this, I'd also prefer Mahaney. A three-level scoring guard could fill a much needed void that Cam and Newton have left behind at the guard spots.

Also, if Brea really is considering Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and UNC in addition to us, that feels like it would be an uphill battle to land him. Recruiting against UVA and Creighton seems like a better investment of time and resources lol

 

[superjohn]

if we lose AK i'm not even sure how good a 9 man rotation with Mahaney AND Brea would be. It's a really small team. our 2 bigs would be the only guys over 6'7.

Diarra 22 / Nowell 18
Mahaney 25 / Ball 15
Brea 25 / McNeeley 10 / Ball 5
Stewart 25 / McNeeley 15
Reed 20 / Johnson 20

25: Mahaney / Brea / McNeeley / Stewart
22: Diarra
20: Ball / Reed / Johnson
18: Nowell

Jayden Ross is the same height as Karaban yet you inexplicably leave him off our roster in every post you make and put other guys on the roster who aren't UConn players.

You're also leaving Singare off the team.

 

[KemBuckets21]

What am I missing? A starting lineup of Diarra, Ball, Stewart, McNeeley, and Samson with Nowell, Mahoney, and Reed off the bench isn’t scary? That’s easily a top 10 team. Point out a weakness in that rotation.

Rebounding

 

[EBonz30]

Trying to predict all the players minutes when none of us know what the roster is going to look like seems bizzare- I see some predictions are blatantly leaving players off their posts who are actually on the current roster & other posters are saying if we get this guy, this guy, or this guy. Lol. I will hold my opinions of who is going to play or not play once the roster is actually settled- lol.

 

[McLovin]

I feel like many are getting too caught up with who starts, how many minutes each player will get, and that the rotation can only be eight players deep.

It seems like Hurley is recruiting a number of players who can play multiple positions. That being the case, I don't see issues in going 9 or 10 deep, where some players will get more minutes than others in any given game.

There are some players who can play the 1 or 2. There will be some who can play the 2, 3 and maybe even the 4, such as Karsban and Stewart. And even the two bigs, can probably play at the same time as long as they're not in major foul trouble.

With that said, if any of the players Hurley is recruiting now are bent on getting a promise that they'll be starting and getting major minutes, will not end up Landing here. All players need to earn their minutes at UConn.

Yup, he harped on it this year that he wanted to be able to go deeper than 8 or 9, but didn't feel like he could.

We also have (and are recruiting) a bunch on interchangeable pieces at the 2-4 in our system, which is pretty positionless at the 2 guard and wing spots. We could play a lineup with Hass/Nowell, Karaban, McNeeley and Stewart on the floor 1-4 or a lineup with Hass, Ball, Mahaney and a wing 1-4 depending on the look we want to give. Our ability to throwout basically anything but a 2 big lineup last season was a huge asset that made us impossible for other teams to prepare for defensively.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Jayden Ross is the same height as Karaban yet you inexplicably leave him off our roster in every post you make and put other guys on the roster who aren't UConn players.

You're also leaving Singare off the team.

Gulp.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Rebounding

if you think of our current roster construction, we dont have a power forward (other than Samson, who is our starting center.) We have Reed, and..... thats it.... if karaban isnt back Jaylin becomes our 3rd biggest guy (i dont really see Singare getting more than Springs minutes)

we really do kind of need another real 4 (stretch 4 if you like), or we will be outmuscled/rebounded at times, especially since we dont have big guards like last yr

 

[Rico444]

With Karaban, Murray, Hurley, Calhoun floating around….are we approaching too much Irish?

Isn't Karaban Ukrainian?

 

[EROCK CONN]

Love Mahaney's game. He was tied for lead scorer against us as a freshman. His 3 point shooting was 40% as a freshmen but down this year. I would imagine that's part Randy Bennet's offense part the fact that he was the St. MAry's leading scorer and the focal point of opposing team's defenses. In the WCC championship game, he dropped 23 against Gonzaga and was 5-7 from 3.

 

[Smp7598]

I heard Hurley say this year many times that bench players needed to wait their turn. I believe Ball and Stewart will play significant time.