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Evan Mahaffey enters NCAA Transfer Portal after just one season at Penn State

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•03/27/23•

GregPickel

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Penn State guard Evan Mahaffey.

A third Penn State basketball player has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. According to On3’s Jamie Shaw, Lions wing Evan Mahaffey is now seeking a new college home after just one season in State College.

A former three-star recruit and top-200 player in the On3 Industry Rankings, Mahaffey averaged 9.3 minutes per game as a Penn State freshman. He scored an average of 2.8 points per game (94 over 34 contests) and secured 59 rebounds in year one. Now former Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry discussed Mahaffey’s in-season progress back in November.

“Once you start stepping up to a higher level of competition, the athleticism, the length, the speed, all those things are really important. And he’s got all three,” Shrewsberry said. “You can throw him out there and see what he’s going to do because he has the ability to make some plays that frankly, other people can’t make, just because they haven’t been blessed with the wingspan or athleticism that he has. 

“He still makes mistakes. There are still things that he’s doing offensively and defensively that, he’s still unsure of himself a little bit offensively. So how we’re using him and what we’re doing right now is not who he is going forward. He is just trying to help us win in any way possible.”

Now, he will likely help someone else attempt to win next season. Mahaffey could still withdraw his name from the portal, of course. But, most players do not choose to go that route.

Off-season of change for Penn State basketball continues

Penn State basketball knew it would be losing stars Jalen Pickett and Andrew Funk at the end of the 2022-2023 season. It turns out, however, that it is losing a lot more.

That list starts with Shrewsberry. He left last week to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame. A national search for the next leader of the Lions is underway and appears to be focused on VCU coach Mike Rhodes.

Beyond the change at the top, the roster is losing pieces, too. Mahaffey is the third Lion to enter the portal this offseason. Dallion Johnson and Caleb Dorsey have, as well. And, Seth Lundy is leaving eligibility on the table to pursue a pro career.

All told, it means whoever the program’s next head coach is will quickly need to get to work in the transfer portal to help fill out the team’s roster for the 2023-2024 season.

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