Tag: Evan Mahaffey

Penn State basketball comes from behind to upset Ohio State

Ace Baldwin Jr.’s late three-pointer helps lift Penn State to come-from-behind upset over Ohio State.

After trailing by double digits at home at halftime on Saturday afternoon, [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] capped a second-half rally with a go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute of regulation to help Penn State upset Ohio State, 83-80, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The win evened Penn State’s record at 5-5 this season overall and 1-1 in early Big Ten play. It also snapped a five-game losing skid by the Nittany Lions.

Baldwin Jr.’s late three-pointer broke a 76-76 tie with half a minute remaining in the game. Penn State stayed in front the rest of the way thanks to some good defense, a key rebound by [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag], and with a couple of key free throws by Wahab.

Baldwin had just 9 points in the win and his late three-pointer was the only one of five he successfully drained. He did record three steals, three rebounds, and five assists in the game.

Penn State was led by starters [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag]’s 19-point effort and double-digits from [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] (11 points) and Wahab (10 points). [autotag]Leo O’Boyle[/autotag] had a big game off the bench with 15 points with four three-pointers made. [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] also added 16 points from the bench.

This game marked the return of former Penn State guard [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag], who transferred to Ohio State in the offseason. Mahaffey had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in his return to the Bryce Jordan Center. Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 17 points.

Penn State will have a week off before its next game, against Georgia Tech in Madison Square Garden in New York next Saturday, Dec. 16. Penn State will return to Big Ten play after the new year on Jan. 4 at Michigan State.

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Ohio State basketball adds Penn State transfer

Another addition from the transfer portal for the OSU hoops team. #GoBucks

Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State basketball team continue to utilize the transfer portal and just dipped into it again. For the second time during the Holtmann tenure, the Buckeyes headed to Happy Valley for a transfer hoops player from Penn State. The first PSU transfer was point guard Jamari Wheeler back in 2021.

Nittany Lions’ Forward Evan Mahaffey becomes the third transfer OSU has convinced to come to Columbus this year alone, joining Minnesota’s Jamison Battle and Baylor’s Dale Bonner.

At 6-foot, 6-inches, and 200 pounds, it’s a bit of a homecoming of sorts for Mahaffey, who is a Cincinnati native hailing from Archbishop Moeller. He spent just one year in Happy Valley and averaged 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in just 9.3 minutes per contest.

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He has a high ceiling and the OSU coaches will no doubt hope that he follows a development arc at Ohio State that has him become more and more a part of the plans beginning next season.

With the commitment, you have to believe that Ohio State’s roster is pretty much complete with one over the scholarship limit. It not only means that Bronny James is unlikely to come to OSU (for those of you still keeping track), but that Brice Sensabaugh will also stay in the NBA draft, which was where things seemed to be headed anyhow. That would bring the Buckeyes back down to the 13 scholarships the NCAA allows.

Of course, things could always change when we least expect it.

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Ex-Penn State guard transfers to Ohio State

Penn State basketball lost a key player to a Big Ten rival by way of the transfer portal.

The good news had been rolling in for everyone involved regarding the Penn State basketball program. New head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] had hit the transfer portal hard, getting some big names to join the Nittany Lions for the upcoming season. He was also able to convince [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] to stay with the program after the head coaching change.

There was hope that [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] would be one of the players that would come back to Penn State after entering his name in the transfer portal around five weeks ago.

Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition.

Mahaffey committed to Big Ten foe Ohio State on Wednesday after one year in State College.

He was part of the 2022 class that was Penn State’s highest recruiting class ever and was able to see the floor in his freshman season. He appeared in 34 games for Penn State last year, averaging 9.4 minutes per game.

Mahaffey is an Ohio native who decided to leave the state despite being offered by two Ohio universities when coming out of high school. Mahaffey was a consensus three-star recruit who was the sixth-ranked player in the state and the 192nd-ranked player in the country.

This may seem eerily similar to some Penn State fans who saw former Nittany Lion guard, [autotag]Jamari Wheeler[/autotag], depart State College for Columbus in 2021, although, Wheeler did leave as a graduate transfer.

Mahaffey leaving is a bit of a blow to Penn State who sees one of their young rotation players leaving after one season. In the 9.4 minutes per game, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds but started to come on strong towards the end of the year. There was no doubt that he would have played major minutes his sophomore season for Penn State after the departures of the graduating seniors.

Ultimately, Mahaffey decided to go back to his home state and will now see his former school at least two times a year. Based on the reception that Wheeler received, the fans may have those games circled on their calendars.

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Penn State basketball transfer portal tracker

Keeping tabs on the transfer portal activity for Penn State this offseason.

Penn State’s basketball season capped one of the most successful runs by the program in years only to see its head coach leave to take another job. And with an offseason of changes in the air in Happy Valley, the management of the roster is a massive task to address moving forward.

In addition to graduating players and NBA draft entrants, Penn State is also seeing some potential changes in the transfer port. The transfer portal served Penn State quite well the past couple of seasons with the additions of players like Jalen Pickett, Camren Wynter, and Andrew Funk. Can they thrive with transfers once again?

Here is an updated look at who is coming and going by way of the transfer portal for Penn State this offseason.

Penn State has officially lost a player through the transfer portal

Penn State basketball officially losing first player out of the transfer portal.

After seeing a number of players enter the transfer portal after a head coaching change following its run to the second round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Penn State was hoping to keep a roster in some decent shape after making its coaching hire official. But new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] will continue to piece together his first roster in Happy Valley without at least one player from last season’s roster. Guard [autotag]Caleb Dorsey[/autotag] announced he has found a new place to call home out of the transfer portal, thus fully moving on from his time at Penn State.

Dorsey announced, via Instagram, he has committed to William & Mary. With the Tribe, Dorsey has played three seasons at Penn State, leaving him with one more year of eligibility unless he uses a redshirt season.

Dorsey appeared in just 16 games for the Nittany Lions last season. Dorsey was battling an undisclosed injury situation for the majority of the season. He last played in a game for Penn State on February 5 in a road game at Nebraska. Dorsey started nine games for Penn State last season.

Dorsey is the first Penn State player to formally leave the program by way of the transfer portal this offseason. While the Nittany Lions did just add Ace Baldwin from VCU, Penn State still has a handful of players sitting in the transfer portal weighing their options. Penn State players still in the transfer portal include [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag], and [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag].

Penn State also had a couple of players ask to be released from their national letters of intent following the coaching change.

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Ace in the portal? Crystal ball picks favor Penn State for top VCU transfer

Penn State could get an Ace in the transfer portal for new head coach Mike Rhoades

After Penn State hired away [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] from VCU, the VCU program was hit hard by players entering the transfer portal. The likelihood that at least one VCU player makes his way to Penn State to continue playing for Rhoades seemed pretty obvious as Penn State’s roster was also decimated by departures and the transfer portal in the fallout of its own coaching search’s early stages. According to a handful of predictions from recruiting experts, Penn State is the early favorite to land not only VCU’s top player in the transfer portal, but the Atlantic-10 player of the year.

Adrian “Ace” Baldwin is the hot name in the transfer portal out of VCU at the moment. And while the A-10 player of the year figures to have plenty of worthwhile offers to consider, Penn State is the crystal ball prediction from three recruiting analysts on 247Sports. Tyler Calvaruso of Lions247, Colby Giacubeno of InsideMDSports and Justin Thind of SpartanTailgate all have cast a crystal ball prediction in favor of Penn State since [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] entered the transfer portal just two days ago when Rhoades was formally introduced as Penn State’s new head coach.

The Baltimore native point guard averaged 12.7 points per game and 5.8 assists last season for VCU. In addition to being named the A-10 player of the year, Baldwin was also praised for his defense as the conference’s defensive player of the year. As Penn State is in need of veterans on the roster with the roster turning over the way it is, Baldwin would be a tremendous asset to the team in 2023-24 if he decides to continue playing for Rhoades at Penn State.

Penn State experienced tremendous success with the transfer portal under Micah Shrewsberry. Penn State’s first NCAA tournament team since 2011 was fueled by transfers Jalen Pickett, Andrew Funk, and Camren Wynter. Baldwin could be the next in line to give Penn State hope through the transfer portal, although he would definitely be more known for his defense than his offensive skillset. And that could be the biggest difference between Shrewsberry’s teams and Rhoades’ as Shrewsberry was more about the offense and Rhoades specializes more with his defensive approach as a head coach.

But that doesn’t mean Penn State won’t have offense to worry about. The hiring of former Nittany Lion on Crispin figures to help design an offense that will keep the scoring output going after directing one of the better offenses in Division 3.

Penn State currently has four players in the transfer portal; [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag], [autotag]Dallion Johnson[/autotag], and [autotag]Caleb Dorsey[/autotag]. It would not be shocking to see any of these players decide to withdraw from the transfer portal as the decisions to enter the portal were largely made as Penn State searched for a replacement for Shrewsberry. But expect plenty of transfer portal activity for Penn State as Rhoades looks to fill his first roster in State College.

Baldwin would be a great addition to get the momentum going in the portal.

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Penn State sees another basketball player enter transfer portal

A third Penn State basketball player has entered the transfer portal.

With a search continuing to find a new head coach to take charge of the men’s basketball program, the transfer portal saw another Nittany Lion player enter his name into the database on Monday. Freshman [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] is the latest Penn State player to enter the transfer portal since the end of the season and the departure of former head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

Mahaffey was a three-star recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2022 out of Ohio. He appeared in 34 games for the Nittany Lions off the bench. Mahaffey averaged just 2.8 points per game in his bench role but figured to be a player that could see a significantly increased role next season with the changes coming naturally to the roster.

Instead, it appears Mahaffey could very well be on the move to another school with plenty of eligibility at his disposal. While the majority of players who enter the transfer portal likely end up at a new school, Mahaffey is always free to withdraw his name from the portal if he decides to stay at Penn State. Such a sequence is not unprecedented.

A year ago saw Seth Lundy enter his name in the transfer portal, following Shrewsberry’s first season in State College. Lundy ultimately;y opted to stay at Penn State and was a key player in the first NCAA Tournament team for the program since 2011.

Mahaffey is the third player from Penn State to enter the transfer portal. He joins [autotag]Caleb Dorsey[/autotag] and [autotag]Dallion Johnson[/autotag] at the moment, with all three still undecided on their next school of choice, be it elsewhere or to stick with the Nittany Lions.

As a result of expected departures and current transfer activity, Penn State’s scholarship picture is nearly as shallow as it can get right now. Hiring a new head coach soon is a pressing need to allow whoever the next coach time to get building the roster as quickly as possible to salvage much hope for the first year on the job. As it stands at the moment, Penn State has six players currently on the scholarship chart, and that includes Shrewsberry’s son, Braeden Shrewsberry.

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Penn State dominates Texas A&M, advances in NCAA Tournament for first time since 2001

Andrew Funk’s big game fuels Penn State past Texas A&M in NCAA Basketball Tournament

Going into the NCAA Tournament, the goal is to be playing the best basketball of the season by the time the games start.

Penn State has been doing that in March.

After a great run before the Big Ten Tournament to get themselves into the March Madness conversation, they cemented themselves in the field by making the championship game. Even though they lost on the last possession, it was clear this Penn State team was peaking at the right time.

But, the NCAA Tournament was going to be a different challenge. Facing a Texas A&M team from a different conference whose style of play was different than what they’ve seen before was supposed to be a test of how good this team actually was.

The Nittany Lions answered all questions tonight winning 76-59.

This was a historic win for Penn State. It was the first NCAA Tournament win since 2001. It was the largest margin of victory for the program in NCAA Tournament history. [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag]’s 27 points were the most by a Penn State player in NCAA Tournament history.

It was also a weird game in many ways for Nittany Lions fans. This felt like the first time in about a month that the game didn’t come down to the wire.

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That’s because Penn State rarely trailed in this game. After trailing 2-4 in the first couple minutes of the game, Funk hit a three to put them back on top. Funk hitting threes was the theme of the game.

About five minutes into the first half, Texas A&M was up four points. That was their largest lead of the game. Once again, Funk hit a three to cut the lead to one point. After seesawing back and forth for a bit, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] hit a jumper that put Penn State up 13-12 at the 11-and-a-half-minute mark.

They never trailed in the game again.

It was an utterly dominant performance by Penn State. They shot 48.2% from the field and a scorching 59.1% from behind the three-point line. They also held A&M to 33.9% shooting and 29.4% from three. This was easily the best game this team had played all season.

Funk was the star of the game tonight. He hit eight threes on 10 attempts to finish with the NCAA Tournament record of 27 points. Pickett was his usual dominant self, finishing with 19 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] joined them in double figures with 10 points.

But it was truly a team effort. [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] didn’t light up the box score, but he played a major part in frustrating Texas A&M’s best player Wade Taylor IV. Freshmen [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] and [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] had important stretches stifling the opposing bigs.

Penn State fans should be celebrating this historic victory because it was a long time coming.

They’ll be facing the second-seeded Texas Longhorns in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday for the opportunity to play in the Sweet 16.

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Best photos from Penn State’s NCAA Tournament win over Texas A&M

Check out the best photos from Penn State’s blowout win over Texas A&M in the NCAA Basketball Tournament’s first round.

For the first time since 2001, Penn State’s men’s basketball team won a game in the NCAA Tournament, and it left no doubt who the better team was in its return to the Big Dance.

Penn State was dialed in from 3-point range in a rout of Texas A&M in the first-round matchup in the Midwest Region. Penn State was led by a monster performance by Andrew Funk in the win and advances to the second round to face Big 12 champion Texas on Saturday.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s big night to cap the first full day of the NCAA Tournament from Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday night.

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Meet Penn State basketball’s second highest recruit ever: Carey Booth

Penn State basketball’s second highest-rated recruit is a legacy commit.

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] has been attacking the recruiting trail hard since he’s come to State College.

The 2022 class was the highest-rated class in Penn State basketball program history. Headlined by four-star recruit [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], there were five overall commits with the other players being three-start recruits according to 247Sports.

Njie, [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] were all in the rotation this season getting valuable experience as Penn State looks to rebuild their roster talent.

One of the things that has plagued the Nittany Lions in recent years is their lack of size and talent at the big man positions. Their inability to rebound and guard taller players in the Big Ten has been a big reason why Penn State has struggled during conference play.

It looks like Shrewsberry found his answer to those problems.

Four-star recruit and ESPN Top 100 player, [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag], committed to Penn State in the Class of 2023.

He’s the son of former Penn State star, [autotag]Calvin Booth[/autotag], who is now the General Manager of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.

Booth is the second highest-rated recruit in program history according to 247Sports. He ranks second behind [autotag]Tony Carr[/autotag] from the 2016 class.

Booth ranks 74th in the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2023. He is listed at 6’10” and 190 pounds with a very advanced skill set.

He’s an athletic big who can attack and play above the rime. He also possesses the ability to dribble and create his own shot off the bounce. Booth is a natural athlete who is a shot blocker on the defensive end.

This is a major recruit for Shrewsberry and Penn State. Getting the son of a program legend is always a good sign about the health of the program overall.

It’s to be seen if Booth’s game at the high school level can translate to high major basketball in the Big Ten, but this is an exciting signing for Penn State as they continue to increase the level of athlete on the roster.

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