‘Hometown Hero’ Commits to Moraga’s Saint Mary’s

The long-awaited decision has finally been made: senior Aidan Mahaney has committed to play Division 1 basketball at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga.

After considering offers from many other schools, Manahey chose Saint Mary’s for a variety of reasons. “Coaching staff and trust and play style were big for me,” Mahaney said.

“Location was also definitely a factor. I felt like it was home for me there, and it literally is home as well,” he added.

Varsity basketball head coach Stephen Dyer agrees that the coaching staff will be great for Mahaney. “I think the coaching staff really believes in him, and I think it’s a good style for him,” said Dyer.

Friend and teammate senior Gabriel Johnson believes that “the coaching staff is going to elevate his game even more than it already has been, especially because he works really hard.”

Specifically, the way that Saint Mary’s runs their offense is very similar to the way Campo does, allowing Mahaney to be a good match for the school. Johnson said, “I think it’s a great fit because they run a lot of pick and roll offense which is similar to here at Campolindo, so it’ll be easy for him to transition there.”

“They also need a point guard and I think that’s something I can bring to the table. Also, they preach a lot of the stuff that I also value like leadership, being a good teammate, and just winning games,” added Mahaney.

So how does the recruitment process even work? Mahaney talked us through it step-by-step.

“Basically there’s a lot of live periods where college coaches can come out to watch you play, and if you play well, the coaches will start to contact you. Throughout your high school years, the contact grows more and more and by your junior year they can start calling you and you can visit campuses,” said Manahey.

Mahaney said that the hardest part of the recruitment process is “really just trying to find what fits with your own goals and getting to the bottom of that. The calls to the coaches that you are not going to at the end are also tough because you know they’ve put a lot of time and effort into you, but if you know you have to go a different way, you have to go a different way.”

In terms of who Mahaney is as a teammate and a person, Johnson said, “Aidan’s a great teammate. He’s always picking you up, making sure you’re accountable for yourself and always working on your game.”

“Aidan is a really good player. He had a lot of successes during his first 2 years at Campo, and then last year’s season got derailed because of injuries. But yeah, he’s been a really good player for us,” Dyer said.

On and off the court, Mahaney wants to build himself into a “hometown hero”. “Being in the community I grew up in, I just want to have a lasting impact somehow. This is a place that I am proud to call my home, ” said Mahaney.

“I want to put on for Lamorinda, the Bay, and all of Norcal throughout my years in college and beyond and really start to give back,” Mahaney said. “I think the NIL will be huge for me with that too.”

“I think he’s got a lot of confidence in himself and he puts in a lot of work. He’s got the drive to be successful,” Dyer concluded.