What Quinnipiac hopes to get from Miami University transfer Ryan Mabrey

Ryan Mabrey was Quinnipiac’s sole transfer portal pickup this offseason. The Miami University expatriate will be Bobcats’ primary replacement for Matt Balanc at shooting guard position. (Photo by Miami University Athletics)

By Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports)

HAMDEN, Conn. — On April 29, the defending MAAC regular season champion Quinnipiac Bobcats hosted their lone transfer for a visit they wanted to keep quiet. Eight days later, junior guard Ryan Mabrey announced his commitment after spending two seasons with the Miami University Redhawks. 

So what made Mabrey so special that head coach Tom Pecora decided to make him the only dip into the portal this offseason?

“An experienced, crafty basketball player,” Pecora said. “He can really shoot the ball.”

Mabrey slots into the starting lineup, ideally with graduate student guard Savion Lewis backcourt. Joining forces with the nation’s second-leading assist man should bode well for Mabrey, who grew up just a few hours from campus in New Jersey. 

“Savion Lewis, when I first got here, came up to me immediately and started talking to me,” Mabrey said. “He just kind of brought some energy towards me that I really, really liked. I really felt at home, I’m close to home here. I’m loving it so far.”

In his first two seasons in the Mid-American Conference, the six-foot-five-inch guard averaged 24.1 minutes per game and 7.7 points per game, en route to a spot on the 2022-23 MAC All-Freshman team. His coming out party was a 11-game stretch where he dropped double-digit performances in nine of those games.

“He’s honestly the best coach I’ve ever played for, and I’m not just saying that,” Mabrey said about his initial interactions with Pecora. “He’s a great guy, he knows exactly what to say and when to say it. He coaches us hard, but it’s out of love, like you can tell it’s not just him yelling at us. He teaches us.”

It won’t be easy trying to replace Matt Balanc as the team’s shooting guard. In his six seasons in Hamden, Balanc — who is now playing in Denmark — racked up 1,721 points, good for second in program history. He also became the second Bobcat to take home the MAAC Player of the Year Award after leading Quinnipiac to their first MAAC regular season title, following Cameron Young in 2019.

“He's doing well, he's enjoying it,” Pecora said of Balanc. “Look, Matt's a worker. You're a pro, man, you eat what you kill. So you’ve gotta go out every day and Matt's got that in his DNA. So I think he could have great success (overseas).”

But the Bobcats’ coaching staff feels comfortable with Mabrey sliding into the rotation. It has felt like a smooth transition for both parties, one they hope can translate into success on the floor.

“They find me a lot. I could shoot the ball and I could do a lot of other things,” Mabrey said. “They really look for me, especially if I start getting going. Savion is great at distributing and finding other players, and I love playing with Lex (Alexis Reyes), Mari (Amarri Monroe), Paul (Otieno), Doug (Young). They're all great players. We got guys coming off the bench. So far, I've meshed really well, I'm surprised.”

And if the New Jersey native is anything like his backcourt predecessor, Quinnipiac will likely be right back where it was last year — 24 total wins, with 15 of them coming within the conference.

“They had four returners back who all played serious college minutes,” Mabrey said. “When you have that, you’ve got a real chance to win. So I really want to be a part of that.”