Randy Bennett knows that there’s no way that Saint Mary’s would have earned a five seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament without Aidan Mahaney.
He also knows that Mahaney is going to endure a brand new dynamic in his second season of college basketball.
“He’s got to deal with expectations,” Bennett said of Mahaney on this week’s edition of the College Hoops Today Podcast. “You have to prepare for what’s coming. Sometimes when you’re a guy like Aidan — you think because you had a great freshman year that automatically you’re going to have a great sophomore year. He’s going to be a marked man. There’s no way that he’s sneaking under-the-radar. I’m trying to get him ready for that.”
The 6-3 Mahaney averaged 13.9 points last season as a freshman and made 74 three-point shots while shooting an impressive 40 percent from long distance. He was the only freshman to be named to the All-WCC First Team at the conclusion of last season.
The Gaels return four of their top five scorers — Mahaney, Alex Ducas, Mitchell Saxen, and Augustas Marciulions — from last season’s team that won 26 games and lost to eventual national champion UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Saint Mary’s is currently ranked 26th in the ROTHSTEIN 45.
Leftovers
- The Breakfast Buffet: Tobe Awaka, Nebraska’s defense, Texas/Kentucky
- INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW (1/20): Guest — Virginia’s Ryan Odom
- The Breakfast Buffet: Michigan returns home, Seton Hall/St. John’s, Kansas hits the road at Colorado
- INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW (1/19): Florida, Kentucky, The ACC, The Big East, JT Toppin, Darryn Peterson
- The Breakfast Buffet: Brad Brownell, Florida, St. John’s is thriving on the road
