UConn Needs Aidan Mahaney To Play Point Guard, Dan Hurley Insists
UConn Huskies junior transfer Aidan Mahaney hasn’t played up to par to start the season, but Huskies head coach Dan Hurley isn’t going to adjust Mahaney’s role anytime soon.
While Mahaney hasn’t been notably effective playing point guard over the first two games, Hurley said on Tuesday that Mahaney will continue to play primarily point guard because UConn wants to avoid a heavy diet of Mahaney and Hassan Diarra playing together.
Mahaney and Diarra are both small guards, and Hurley wants to keep bigger lineups on the floor for the most part.
“We’re asking him to do things that he did not have to do (at Saint Mary’s), and what we need him to do here is to play on the ball,” Hurley said during a media availability session on Tuesday.
“At times I think him and Hassan playing together is going to happen … but for the most part, we can’t really afford to be that small at guard.”
“We want to be big on the perimeter. That’s why we’ve been so successful.”
“I think it’s just transitioning to being on the ball more than he’s had to play on the ball. He’s just got to kind of grow into it and get better.”
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Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org