KEARNEY — Before Brett Mahony made his college decision, there was another choice he had to make.
Mahony, who has been a three-sport athlete for most of his high school career, battled back-and-forth in whether he wanted to play football or basketball. After making an evaluation, he announced Sunday evening via Twitter that he has committed to playing basketball at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The moment that Mahony picked up a basketball and reconnected with the game that made him a three-time all-state player, he knew then that nothing would come between him and his love for basketball.
“I kind of found my love for basketball game. I don’t know what it was, I picked up a basketball this season, and I just fell in love with it all over again,” Mahony said. “I was telling someone earlier that I felt like I was in middle school. Just my love for the game, reuniting was I guess what ultimately made me choose to basketball over football.”
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Mahony had offers on the table for both football and basketball. UNK went after him last spring for a walk-on spot. Mahony hasn’t spoken to coach Kevin Lofton until recent weeks. When he the made official offer, Mahony accepted right on the spot.
“I think it was the best choice for me moving forward not only athletically, but I think in terms of academics as well,” Mahony said. “I sat down with my family and my grandparents, and we kind of made a list of pros and cons of each school I was kind of looking at ... UNK kind of checked every box. Coach Lofton is doing a great job, and I think he’s got a lot of good stuff in store for the future.”
KCHS coach Bob Langan knew about Mahony‘s decision days before the announcement. He expects him to play guard at the college level and believes he could make an impact right away.
“I think he’ll work hard, step in his freshman year, maybe his sophomore year,” Langan said. “I think the biggest upside UNK is getting is the fact that Brett has been a three-sport athlete and hasn’t really been able to focus on basketball or football. Now he gets to focus on one sport, and I think they’ll see mental improvements from him.”
Mahony is not the only one who plans on being a future Loper. Quinn Johnson from Loomis High School and Tyler Harre from Scottsbluff High School are also UNK commits. All three have been communicating with one another with the same mindset of earning a scholarship and seeking minutes on the court. They are familiar with playing at the (Health and) Sports Center throughout their career and are looking forward to making it their home for the next four years.
“To finally be able to go and play and be a Loper, that’s obviously cool for me,” Mahony said. “That’s awesome. Playing collegiate sports have always been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid and to be able to do it in my hometown to a school I grew up watching is that much better.”
For three straight seasons, Mahony has been the Stars leading scorer, received all-state honors, and expect nothing less this season. He wants to end his high school career on a high note.
“No. 1 obviously win the state championship this year. It be nice to break some of the individual records as well, but like I said, my No.1 goal is to win it all.”
Kearney Catholic (5-0) is back in action on Tuesday. The Stars will face Ravenna at 7:45 p.m.