Penn State commit Evan Mahaffey poised to become next star from Moeller
CINCINNATI (BVM) 鈥� Miles McBride and Jaxson Hayes are two names that come to mind when discussing recent Archbishop Moeller High School grads who have gone on to enjoy successful college careers and flash potential at the pro level. Evan Mahaffey could soon be the next guy on that list.
Mahaffey has had a long journey to get to the point he鈥檚 at now, and that begins with learning the game of basketball from his dad, Jamie, a former college player at Miami (OH). Jamie went on to coach at North College Hill where he led the program to three consecutive OHSAA state championships with former NBA players O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker on his squad.
Of course, at that time, Evan was just a young toddler. But as he grew, he started to realize how special that run was, and it fueled his love and passion for the game.
鈥淲hat really attracted me to the sport was some of my dad鈥檚 players that he had when he was coaching,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淗e coached O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker, and just hearing 海角社区 about them and what he said about how good their work ethic was really inspired me.鈥�
With Jamie alongside Evan throughout his basketball journey, the Moeller senior has been able to take away plenty from the coach to apply to his game.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been there, so he knows how much work it takes,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always great having somebody that鈥檚 been to places that you want to get to and also you see people around that that he鈥檚 coached that are at the level or have been at the level that I want to get to. Just having that around you really keeps you on your toes.鈥�
However, Jamie is not the only member of the Mahaffey family that Evan has been able to look up to over the years. His older sister, Danielle, is also a terrific athlete and is wrapping up her time as a volleyball player at the University of Tennessee.
鈥淚 can take a lot away,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 given me so many different keys and tips about how to balance school and your sport and then your work ethic that goes into it 鈥� She鈥檚 definitely helped a lot and just being able to see how her development has come a long way as well, that鈥檚 something that really intrigues me.鈥澛�
Growing up, Danielle also played basketball. While Evan claims she was not all that good at the sport, he knew she would succeed in something athletically thanks to the strong work ethic she has. After taking up volleyball in seventh grade, the rest is history as she has become .
Meanwhile, Evan has also had the chance recently to fill the shoes of Jamie and Danielle as a role model for his younger brother, Eric. Currently a sophomore at Moeller, Eric and Evan have gotten to not only grow up in the sport together, but also play alongside each other in high school the last couple of seasons.
鈥淲ith him looking up to me, it really is cool,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淲e get to give him some knowledge of some of the things we used to get through high school. We鈥檝e been always working out together and I just try to pull him along a little bit because when you鈥檙e younger, you don鈥檛 really understand some of the extra things you have to do to separate yourself from everybody else. So I try to instill that into him now so he understands it maybe before I understood it.
鈥淛ust being in the same corner as him and just in the same area, it鈥檚 always fun. I feel like I鈥檝e been a good role model, but at the same time, it鈥檚 being a big brother, so I鈥檓 beating him up when he needs to be beat up and putting him in his place 鈥� But it鈥檚 great having him around and it鈥檚 really awesome being able to see him and definitely helping in his development.鈥�
Evan knows Eric has plenty of potential, but it may be hard to match the tremendous career the older brother has had thus far on the hardwood. The 6-foot-6 standout was always a talented player when he was younger, yet, some maybe didn鈥檛 expect him to turn into what he has today.
Always playing with a chip on his shoulder, a lot of Evan鈥檚 development has come from not only playing at Moeller, but also through AAU basketball, most recently with Indiana Elite.
鈥淚t was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made,鈥� Evan said about playing for Indiana Elite. 鈥淲ith going to Moeller, some of my teammates on that team played for the Indiana Elite program so they sort of got me introduced to those guys. My coaches have done so much for our recruiting and just working me out. The program has meant a lot to me and I really can鈥檛 thank them enough for everything they鈥檝e done for me and are still doing for me now.鈥�
In 2019, Moeller went 29-0 and won a state championship. However, at the time, Evan was not part of the squad as he actually began his high school career at Northwest where his sister graduated from. While he had a solid freshman season as a varsity starter, an unexpected opportunity to come play for Moeller as a sophomore was hard to pass up.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 even looking to transfer,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淎s a kid, you just want to be where your friends are and I was just comfortable in that area 鈥� I feel like my freshman year was the biggest year of my career because that was my first time playing with the big boys and you get taught a lot of different lessons. I would never trade that for the world.
鈥淎t the end of that year, my dad and Deuce McBride鈥檚 father, Walt McBride, they鈥檙e good friends and they started catching up again when my dad went to one of the games. And he introduced the idea of me going over to Moeller. At the time, I hadn鈥檛 even heard of Moeller. I came over and watched the game, came over and chatted and really fell in love with the place. You can say the first thing that really got me intrigued was the basketball, but when I went over and chatted with the school you saw the complete aspect and complete picture of the Moeller school.鈥�
Heading to Moeller was a true benefit to Evan鈥檚 basketball career and high school experience as a whole. Taking the court for the Crusaders as a sophomore, Evan was part of a very strong team once again. He did have to sit out towards the end of the season due to a transfer rule, but Evan was still able to develop as he played with the prestigious program.
Unfortunately Moeller鈥檚 run was cut short that season due to the pandemic, but Evan thinks they had what it took to win a state title.
鈥淚 got to learn a lot from those players,鈥� Evan noted. 鈥淚 think that team was really good, we only lost one game and that was towards the beginning of the year. I don鈥檛 see really anybody stopping that 2020 team from a state championship with the talent that we had at that time.鈥�
Being able to play a full season in 2021 as a junior, Evan took what he learned in his sophomore year and became a key cog of Moeller鈥檚 success. Averaging 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, a Greater Catholic League-South leading 3.6 assists, as well as 1.2 blocks and 1.5 steals, Evan showed his true versatility, being able to play any spot on the floor and also guard any player on the opposition.
鈥淐oming into that season, we definitely had high expectations,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淚 think I took more of a role and came in as a main defender who was guarding the best player on each team.鈥�
Heartbreakingly, Moeller (20-5) would lose in the postseason on a buzzer-beater to eventual state champion Centerville, led by Gabe Cupps. Despite that being one of the tougher losses of Evan鈥檚 basketball career, the bonds he formed with his team and the learning experiences he had were very beneficial.
鈥淭hat was one of my closer teams that I had, we really bonded, there were always great laughs,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 trade that year for the world. It really helped me understand how to play with other really good players.鈥�
Coming into his senior season, Evan鈥檚 goal remained the same: win a state championship. However, he also strived to develop into more of a leader as one of the only key members from last year鈥檚 squad returning.聽
Evan鈥檚 game took a big leap in his senior season as he averaged nearly 16 points per game along with seven rebounds while shooting 64% from the field. Moeller would finish with a 16-6 record, but unfortunately its season would come to a close earlier than expected in the sectional finals.
鈥淚t was obviously devastating because of the goal I had with that team, taking them as far as I could,鈥� the Moeller senior said. 鈥淚 feel like I didn鈥檛 do that, but at the same time you have to learn from it and keep it moving.鈥�
Still, the senior campaign was a truly special one for Evan, as he was named first team Southwest Ohio All-District, Division 1 first team All-Ohio, Greater Catholic League-South Player of the Year, and most recently, Division 1 Player of the Year by cincinnati.com.
Senior Evan Mahaffey has been named the Ohio Division 1 Player of the Year. Mahaffey was the lone Greater Cincinnati boys basketball player to be named first team All-Ohio and was also named the GCL South Player of the Year. Congrats Evan!馃敟馃敟
— Archbishop Moeller Basketball (@MoellerBBall)
鈥淭he different accolades I received were obviously really, really cool,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淚 really do appreciate it and it feels good because it鈥檚 one of those things where it鈥檚 like, OK, people are noticing I鈥檓 getting better and are noticing my hard work.鈥�
Playing for a storied program, Evan has certainly made his mark. He hopes to come back and instill his wisdom on the younger generation of Moeller basketball players just as many Crusaders鈥� alumni already have. Also seeing where the NBA careers of guys like McBride and Hayes have gone, Evan believes he can follow their path.
鈥淧layers that go to Moeller, obviously they鈥檙e good at basketball, but they鈥檙e even better people and I feel like I left that,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淲ith those dudes coming in front of me and being able to see them and the things that they succeeded in, why can鈥檛 I do that too? I just really have to work like they did.鈥�
Evan will continue to put in work to achieve his professional basketball dream. There are some things he can continue to fine tune in his game, but he knows his potential is high.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a dream of mine since my middle school years,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淧utting some more weight on will definitely help me, and becoming a knock-down shooter from every spot on the court.鈥�
First, however, he will head off to State College to play for Coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Evan had plenty of other interests, and strongly considered Xavier, Kansas State and Loyola Chicago before making his final decision.
I want to start off by saying none of this would be possible without God. Thank you to my family, my friends, coaches, and teammates that helped me get to this place in life. With that being said, I am excited to say that I will be committing to鈥�
— Evan Mahaffey (@EvanMahaffey5)
鈥淩eally, what led me to choose Penn State was the coaching staff and the players they have coming in,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淵ou have guys who have coached at the highest level of basketball where I want to get to. And then also you have the school, I love the campus. And you have an extensive alumni base.鈥�
Another draw to Penn State was the team’s aggressive play style. A hard-nosed, gritty program that brings in guys with plenty of versatility, Evan seems to fit the bill perfectly.
鈥淚 think that was one of the biggest things that also attracted me was just knowing how well I was going to fit in their system,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淚 feel like my tools that I have are really going to be great in that scheme. I feel very confident and comfortable going up there and being able to be a big piece into what we do.鈥�
Although Shrewsberry hasn鈥檛 been at the helm long, Evan believes Penn State is poised for success. Not only does he want to become a better basketball player and all-around person while at Penn State, but he will not stop until he leads this Nittany Lions鈥� program to the top.
鈥淥ne of my goals is to win a national championship, that should be everybody鈥檚 No. 1 goal going into college basketball,鈥� Evan said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the questions I asked in my recruitment. If our goal isn鈥檛 to win a national championship, then what are we working for? Even though it鈥檚 not all about that, that鈥檚 one of the biggest things I want to get accomplished while I鈥檓 there.鈥�
