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Penn State hoops suffers transfer setback to B1G foe

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•05/03/23•

NateBauerBWI

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Penn State rising sophomore Evan Mahaffey is transferring to Ohio State. (Daniel Althouse/BWI)

Penn State is losing its first transfer portal exit of Mike Rhoades’ tenure with the program. And, it’s a particularly damaging blow to the Nittany Lions.

Evan Mahaffey, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing coming out of his true freshman season, is set to transfer to Ohio State.

The news ends a five-week stay in the transfer portal for Mahaffey, who entered on March 27 in the wake of Micah Shrewsberry’s exit to Notre Dame. Though Rhoades and his staff made inroads to quickly establish a relationship with Mahaffey and his family, Mahaffey was ultimately drawn back to his home state of Ohio.

Evan Mahaffey resume

Mahaffey earned instant intrigue upon his arrival to Penn State last summer. Part of the Nittany Lions’ five-man Class of 2022, he entered as a former high school point guard with tantalizing size, length, and athleticism.

That took shape from the jump as he immediately found minutes under Shrewsberry. He’d go on to play in 34 of 37 games, averaging 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per outing. However, as the season progressed, Mahaffey found himself working through a roller coaster of inconsistency.

Specifically called out by Shrewsberry for his defensive effort through the Big Ten season, Mahaffey showed up in a big way in two crucial wins for the Nittany Lions down the regular season stretch. First, he filled 19 minutes in a win at Ohio State, then made one of the plays of the season in 20 minutes at Northwestern to secure a critical overtime win over the Wildcats.

Next steps for Penn State basketball

Mahaffey’s exit represents a challenge for the Nittany Lions moving forward. Rhoades and his staff have thus far managed to hang onto three true freshmen and build out the roster with five incoming transfers. But, the Mahaffey departure dents those plans moving forward for a system considered well-suited for his skillset.

Resetting the roster with Mahaffey officially out, the Nittany Lions have eight of 13 total scholarships filled ahead of the 2023-24 season. They also await the decision of Kebba Njie, who is the program’s only other piece currently in the transfer portal.

Bonus year: Qudus Wahab

Fourth year: Ace Baldwin, Puff Johnson

Third year: Nick Kern, Zach Hicks

Second year: Kanye Clary, Jameel Brown, Demetrius Lilley

First year:

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