East Bay native Mahaney pushing No. 22 Saint Mary’s with scoring as a freshman

Campolindo graduate Aidan Mahaney and the Gaels are on a nine-game winning streak, and he's scored 16.7 points per game over that stretch.

MORAGA — Just two miles and a year away from his playing days at Campolindo High School, freshman Aidan Mahaney is the leading scorer on a Saint Mary’s team ranked No. 22 in the nation.

Growing up in Moraga, Mahaney was almost destined to play for the Gaels. Coach Randy Bennett first saw him in action when Mahaney was just 5 or 6 years old, playing a youth-league game in the Saint Mary’s gym. His team lost that day.

“Mom tells me the story about how I ran out of the gym crying,” Mahaney said.

Bennett remembers the moment.

“I witnessed it. He didn’t make it to the handshake line,” said Bennett, laughing. “I told his mom right then, ‘I like the guy. He cares a lot.’ That’s how he was from Day 1.”

Mahaney has brought a better-focused version of that same intensity to the start of his college career. When the Gaels climbed into the AP Top 25 this week, Mahaney gained a remarkable distinction: He became the third-highest-scoring freshman on any team in the rankings.

He is averaging 15 points per game for an 18-4 team that sits alone atop the West Coast Conference at 7-0. The Gaels play Saturday at BYU.

During the team’s current nine-game win streak, Mahaney is scoring 16.7 points per game, shooting 50 percent from the field and 46 percent on 3-point attempts.

“He’s been incredible for us,” senior Alex Ducas said after Mahaney scored 20 points in a 77-58 rout of Santa Clara on Saturday night. “He’s kind of smashed expectations of everyone.”

The 6-foot-3, 172-pound guard, who on Monday was named the WCC Freshman of the Week for the seventh time in 11 weeks, said he has tried to live in the moment through everything — practice, weight-room workouts and the games.

“It can be a little crazy when you see yourself on TV,” he said. “But I just trust all the hard work I put in. Because of that, I have a lot of confidence.”

Only six true freshmen among more than 350 Division I teams nationwide have scored more points than Mahaney. And only two of them are doing it for teams that have played well enough to earn Top 25 status.

Brandon Miller averages 19.8 points for No. 2 Alabama and Keyonte George is scoring at a 16.9 pace for 17th-ranked Baylor. Both are projected as NBA draft lottery picks next summer.

Mahaney’s name appears nowhere in the mock drafts, but he has goals like everyone. “I’m not a super open person,” he offered, “but I would say I try to set the bar as high as possible.”

Mahaney has been just what Bennett’s squad needed, providing one more scoring option. He put up 25 points in his college debut vs. Oral Roberts and has posted double-digit totals 18 times.

“Immediately he brought scoring, shooting, competitiveness,” Bennett said. “He brings intelligence. He’s a really good leader. Right now, he leads with his confidence.”

His future college teammates made the short trek to Campolindo several times last year to check out the 2022 Bay Area News Group Player of the Year.

“He’s better than I expected,” Ducas said. “I thought he’d come in and be really good for us but he’s been exceptional. He’s been a focus for us on offense and he’s played really well on defense.

“That kind of gets pushed away a little bit — everyone sees his offense — but he’s holding his own on defense, guarding some of the best guards in the league and doing really well.”

Two weekends ago at USF, Mahaney was given the primary defensive assignment against fifth-year senior Khalil Shabazz, who has scored more than 1,500 career points. Shabazz managed just six points on 1-for-11 shooting.

“Aidan has improved as a freshman to where he’s not a fish on defense,” Bennett said.

“Defense is such a big piece for Saint Mary’s basketball,” said Mahaney alluding to the fact that the Gaels rank fifth nationally, allowing just 57.2 points per game. “I’d be lying if I said I was a great defender right now but I want to be great at it.”

Mahaney’s contributions are all the more impressive because upperclassmen typically lead the way at Saint Mary’s.

Only two freshmen led the Gaels in scoring during Bennett’s first 21 seasons — Daniel Kickert at 12.7 points in 2002-03 and Patty Mills at 14.8 in 2007-08. Mahaney is on pace to break Mills’ freshman record of 472 points.