Former Penn State wing Evan Mahaffey transfers to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Penn State transfer wing Evan Mahaffey has committed to Ohio State. Mahaffey is the third incoming transfer joining the Buckeyes’ 2023-24 roster, along with former Minnesota forward Jamison Battle and former Baylor guard Dale Bonner.
“First, I would like to thank God for this opportunity,” Mahaffey wrote on social media Wednesday. “Second, I want to thank Penn State and the amazing people that made my freshman year great! With that being said, I have decided to further my academic and athletic career at The Ohio State University!”
Unlike Battle and Bonner, Mahaffey isn’t a grad transfer. Mahaffey has three years of eligibility remaining after spending only one season at Penn State. The Cincinnati native was part of a Nittany Lions team that was the Big Ten Tournament runner-ups and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Except, that was with Micah Shrewsberry at the helm.
Shrewsberry has since left for the head coaching vacancy at Notre Dame, and, as a result, Penn State players hit the transfer portal. Mahaffey was the first to enter his name after Shrewsberry annnounced his departure. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing averaged 9.3 minutes, 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game as a freshman on a veteran-heavy Nittany Lions squad in 2022-23.
Mahaffey shot 56.9% from the floor and recorded six-plus points seven times. He played fewer than 20 minutes in six of those seven outings, registering a season-high 12 points while playing just 13 minutes in a Jan. 11 win over Indiana.
Mahaffey was a three-star recruit out of Archbishop Moeller, where he was ranked as the 192nd overall Class of 2022 prospect and the sixth-rated Ohio recruit, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He also held offers from Xavier, Virginia Tech and Kansas State, among other schools.
Mahaffey was named a finalist for 2022 Ohio Mr. Basketball and was the Greater Cincinnati League Player of the Year after averaging 15.7 points. 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 blocks per game and posting a 63.8% field goal percentage as a senior. He was also named the league’s defensive player of the year his junior season.
It was his defense that drew praise from Shrewsberry last season at Penn State. But he also reeled in a critical offensive rebound at Northwestern on March 10 that led to Cam Wynter’s overtime game-winner.
Mahaffey, notably, chipped in four points and three rebounds in 19 minutes of Penn State’s Feb. 23 win at Ohio State.
With his transfer, the Buckeyes are now at the maximum 13 scholarships for the 2023-24 season.
Brice Sensabaugh could still withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return for his sophomore year, but that’s unlikely, given that Sensabaugh — who averaged a team-leading 16.3 points per game last season — is a widely-projected first-round pick.
