Video: Ohio State’s Evan Mahaffey, Jake Diebler and Aaron Bradshaw
Ohio State’s Evan Mahaffey, Jake Diebler and Aaron Bradshaw talk with reporters on July 9, 2024.
There was no announcement that Evan Mahaffey was officially returning to Ohio State for 2024-25. A light social media user, Mahaffey’s Instagram page was quiet from Jan. 20 until early July when it showcased some highlights from summer workouts with the Buckeyes.
Noticeably absent was any graphic declaring “I’M BACK” or any sort of similar message. Instead, Mahaffey did what was commonplace not too long ago: he simply remained with the program where he had played the previous season.
There were reasons for that, and among them was a sense of loyalty.
“Bouncing around, it really just isn’t me,” he said. “(Going) from the first school to this one, I really wanted to find a home, just some place where I can trust somebody, trust a group of people and I think I found that. I think being somewhere where I know I can win and contribute to winning was big.”
A Cincinnati native, Mahaffey committed to Penn State as part of the 2022 class and played his freshman season but entered the transfer portal when coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame. Mahaffey considered following him and remaining put with the Nittany Lions but ultimately opted to transfer to Ohio State and be closer to his family in the process.
As a sophomore, Mahaffey stepped into a role as a primary contributor for the Buckeyes after a role as a bit player for Penn State. He started all but one game for the Buckeyes and saw his usage grow in every statistical category including playing time (9.4 minutes per game to 22.1), points (2.8 to 4.3), rebounds (1.7 to 4.2) and even shots taken (1.9 to 4.1). It was a season of standard growth from freshman to sophomore year, but Mahaffey’s production and usage dipped as Ohio State changed coaches.
Mahaffey averaged 5.4 points and 4.5 rebounds while playing 23.9 minutes per game through the first 25 games of the season under Chris Holtmann. With Jake Diebler in charge, his average playing time dropped to 18:05 minutes per game and his production followed. Mahaffey averaged 3.5 rebounds and scored 18 total points in the final 11 games. His 3-point shooting, too, never quite took off: Mahaffey went 2 for 17 (11.8%) from deep.
In 2024-25, the Buckeyes are asking for more. As summer started, Diebler said he’s challenged Mahaffey with expanding his game on the perimeter – something the 6-6, 200-pound wing said he’s done throughout his career.
“We had different conversations over time moving me to the perimeter more and making sure that my abilities, my ball handling, my shooting, my decision-making are getting better each day (this summer) so they can trust me out there,” he said. “I love it. I love being challenged in that way, too.”
Mahaffey’s impact isn’t fully measured by offensive production. A versatile defender, he proved a key part in Ohio State’s defense last season with his ability to switch onto multiple positions and still be impactful. The Buckeyes occasionally utilized him as a primary ball handler. At times, when paired with a standout offensive game (he had a career-high 16 points in a Jan. 20 win against his former team), Mahaffey looked like the player pegged upon his Ohio State arrival as having NBA potential.
“Everybody has their highs and lows in a season but staying in a positive mindset, being able to contribute whether you’re on the court or off the court, whether whatever position you’re playing or not, wherever I can,” he said of the lessons learned last year. “Keep building trust.”
The ball will be in his hands, Diebler said, and the Buckeyes have seen “steady growth” in Mahaffey as he’s been put in decision-making situations this summer. On a team that brought in transfers Sean Stewart (Duke) and Micah Parrish (San Diego State) who will compete for playing time with Mahaffey and sophomore Devin Royal, Diebler said the returner is also being counted on to impact the team’s rebounding capabilities.
“Evan will be an important part for that moving forward with his versatility and ability to play multiple positions,” the coach said. “He had some big rebounding games. He knows there’s a consistency that he can get to from that standpoint.”
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
Doing so will help Mahaffey live up to the standard he said he gained more appreciation for this summer as the Buckeyes welcomed back a host of former players for their annual “Vet Week” event. It also helped keep him in the fold.
“Being a kid from Ohio, seeing Ohio State as a program, seeing the legacy of how many players came through here, you just saw that this summer,” he said. “Being able to be a part of that and contribute in a positive way is something I really wanted to do.
“Being able to do it with the guys around this program, the coaches in this program, it’s something I’m really looking forward to doing. That was ultimately one of the reasons why I stayed.”
@AdamJardy
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
Source link : https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2024/07/12/evan-mahaffey-ohio-state-basketball-2024-2025-roster-schedule/74350041007/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-12 06:07:48
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
