Evan Mahaffey, Ohio State's 'Swiss Army Knife,' ready for return to Penn State
Two months ago, a Kanye Clary prediction about Evan Mahaffey proved uncannily accurate.
Last season, Clary and Mahaffey were freshmen on the most successful Penn State team in 22 years. When coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame, Clary remained with the Nittany Lions while Mahaffey, a Cincinnati native, entered the transfer portal, stayed within the conference and signed with Ohio State. At Big Ten media day in Minneapolis this October, Clary offered a clear look at what kind of player the Buckeyes were getting in his former teammate, a lightly used wing during his season in State College.
“He’s one of them guys that’s gonna cause havoc, always be in the right spot at the right time,” Clary said of Mahaffey. “He gets a lot of steals, blocks, can run the floor, can create his own shot, dribble, slash, rebound, read the ball screens, read the tags. He’s really a Swiss army knife-type of player.”
The description reads like an NBA all-time great. Mahaffey might grow into an NBA player before he’s done, but the description provided by Clary inside the Target Center accurately matched a minute-long stretch for Mahaffey during the first half of Wednesday night’s 84-64 home win against Miami (Ohio).
With the Buckeyes ahead 32-21, the sophomore missed a shot in the paint but quickly locked up Miami’s Jaquel Morris to force a jump ball situation with 3:32 left in the first half. Ohio State had the possession arrow, and four seconds after the jump ball Bruce Thornton hit a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 14 points. The RedHawks brought the ball up the court, but Mahaffey ripped it from Ryan Mabrey, turned upcourt and pushed the ball in transition before finding Zed Key for a dunk.
He wasn’t done. As the RedHawks got the ball to Jackson Kotecki, a 6-9, 230-pound forward three inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Mahaffey, the Ohio State wing rose up and rejected the shot.
It added up to two steals, a block, a fast break and an assist. Time elapsed: 55 seconds.
“When they recruited me that was one of the big emphasizes that they wanted me to bring to this team, doing more things,” Mahaffey said. “Getting stops but being able to grab the rebound and push it, too. Finding the open man as well. In that area, I feel like I’m the most comfortable just playing freely and doing multiple things on the court.”
Wednesday night, Mahaffey looked as comfortable as he has in weeks. A still-developing player who totaled only 319 minutes of playing time at Penn State, scoring 94 points and grabbing 59 rebounds, Mahaffey’s minutes per game have more than doubled as he has slotted into Ohio State’s starting lineup. After posting consecutive scoreless games, Mahaffey reached double figures for the first time this year by scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting against Miami. He also had four rebounds and hit his first 3-pointer of the season.
It was a glimpse of what could be looming in the future for Mahaffey.
“He’s such a good athlete and he’s got really good defensive instincts and he’s got a really good defensive IQ,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “He has to get better in his ball-screen defense and I think just in general his details and his consistent effort can get better but he’s got great length, he’s a really good athlete, he sees things quickly and has the ability to make plays defensively.”
Ohio State’s Evan Mahaffey to return to Penn State
It was a good time to have a good game given what is next. Mahaffey’s first Big Ten road game with the Buckeyes will be against his former program. The Nittany Lions look drastically different from last season as Clary, Jameel Brown and Demetrius Lilley are the only players to see action this year who were teammates with Mahaffey. The night before Mahaffey announced his Ohio State commitment, Clary said the two spoke and that he wished him well.
“I told him, ‘Whatever you do, I’ll support you. Just know I’m your friend first,’ and he’s my guy,” Clary said. “Obviously I wanted him to stay at Penn State because me and a couple of our other teammates have stayed, but he made the choice that’s best for him so I was happy for him.”
Mahaffey had the option to stay and play for coach Mike Rhoades, and he was recruited by Shrewsberry to follow him to Notre Dame. He’s not the first former Penn State player to transfer to Ohio State and play at his former school, and he’s not the first Buckeye to play against his former Big Ten team this season, either. Sunday evening, Jamison Battle scored 25 points to help the Buckeyes beat Minnesota, where he played the last two seasons.
Two seasons ago, Penn State’s Jamari Wheeler transferred to Ohio State for his final season of college basketball. When the Buckeyes went to the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 4, 2021 in the Big Ten opener for both teams, fans held signs with Wheeler’s face alongside words like “traitor.”
Clary said Mahaffey’s personality might lessen some of the pushback he could get from the local fans Saturday evening.
“Like any sports fans, they’ll probably say some things to try and get him out of his game but honestly, while he was here he had a good effect on everybody,” he said. “He’s one of the most positive, happy guys I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m pretty sure the fans won’t, it won’t be bad.”
Mahaffey said he’s looking forward to his return.
“I’m excited more than anything,” he said. “Just excited to go up there and get a win, really. We all know how hard it is to win on the road in the Big Ten. Being able to go up there, be able to be locked in on our game plan and go out there and play hard.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Evan Mahaffey, Ohio State's 'Swiss Army Knife,' set for Penn State trip
