Photo by Tod Fierner
Aidan Mahaney Named Top-20 Finalist for Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year
Mahaney's standout freshman campaign a year ago drew national attention. Now he has been tabbed as one of the best shooting guards in the nation for the upcoming season.
As announced by the Basketball Hall of Fame earlier in October, Saint Mary's own Aidan Mahaney has been named a top-20 finalist for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Mahaney's standout freshman campaign a year ago drew national attention. Now he has been tabbed as one of the best shooting guards in the nation for the upcoming season. The list of finalists will be brought down to 10 in late January and five in late March before a winner is announced during the Final Four.
Previous winners of this distinguished award include D'Angelo Russell, Buddy Hield, Malik Monk, RJ Barrett, Chris Duarte, and Johnny Davis, all of whom were first round NBA Draft Picks. Mahaney matched up with the most recent winner, Marcus Sasser of the University of Houston, a season ago, outscoring Sasser 14–13 in a tight contest. Below is a list of this season's finalists:
Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award
| NAME | SCHOOL |
| Aidan Mahaney | Saint Mary’s |
| Antonio Reeves | Kentucky |
| Boogie Ellis | USC |
| Caleb Love | Arizona |
| Fletcher Loyer | Purdue |
| Ja'Kobe Walter | Baylor |
| Johnell Davis | FAU |
| Jordan Dingle | St. Johns |
| Justin Moore | Villanova |
| Kam Jones | Marquette |
| Kevin McCullar | Kansas |
| LJ Cryer | Houston |
| Riley Kugel | Florida |
| Santiago Vescovi | Tennessee |
| Stephon Castle | University of Connecticut |
| Terrence Shannon Jr. | Illinois |
| Tramon Mark | Arkansas |
| Trey Alexander | Creighton |
| Tyrese Proctor | Duke |
| Tyson Walker | Michigan State |
The Gaels’ leading returning scorer, Mahaney looked the part in the Saint Mary’s exhibition against Hawaii on October 20. The sophomore out of Lafayette scored 25 points on 9–13 shooting, including 4–7 shooting from beyond the arc.
Gaels fans can catch Mahaney and the rest of the Saint Mary's Men's Basketball team in action in their season opener on November 6, when they welcome the Stanislaus State Warriors to UCU Pavilion for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
READ MORE: This story as it was originally published at SMCGaels.com
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