Saint Mary’s star guard Mahaney enters transfer portal

Aidan Mahaney, an East Bay native, led the Gaels in scoring last season.

One of the key players in Saint Mary’s winning the men’s West Coast Conference this winter is headed out of Moraga.

Aidan Mahaney, the hometown kid who starred at Campolindo, has entered the transfer portal, a source at the school confirmed Tuesday.

Mahaney was a first-team all-WCC performer in his sophomore year, leading the Gaels at 13.9 points per game. He was a key figure to get them going in the WCC title game victory over Gonzaga, when he finished with 23 points including five 3-pointers.

Fellow starter Joshua Jefferson, who averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds before a knee injury ended his season in February, has also entered the portal.

Mahaney’s scoring average was actually down from his freshman year, but he took on more of the load running the offense after veteran guard Logan Johnson graduated.

Gaels coach Randy Bennett has known Mahaney since the guard was young, as he played alongside Bennett’s own sons in the East Bay throughout his development.

Ahead of the Gaels’ third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth last month, Bennett and several Gaels players emphasized the culture at Saint Mary’s as one bucking against the transfer portal era of college athletics.

Bennett may be more concerned about the state of affairs now than he was then, but Mahaney’s departure would not leave the cupboard bare: There’s no indication WCC player of the year Augustas Marciulionis will leave, and conference defensive player of the year Mitchell Saxen is reportedly coming back, too.