SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball program has signed four transfer students, Hosana Kitenge, Aidan Mahaney, Miro Little and Marvin McGhee IV, as announced on Friday by
Joe Pasternack.
All four student-athletes will join the Gauchos' program for the 2025-26 season. Kitenge and Mahaney have one remaining season of eligibility, while Little and McGhee IV have two years of eligibility. Kitenge comes to Santa Barbara after spending the last two seasons at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. At the same time, Mahaney returns to the West Coast after spending last season with UConn. Little comes to the Blue and Gold after spending last season at the University of Utah and McGhee IV leaves Big West foe Cal State Bakersfield to join the Gauchos.
A 6-foot-8 forward, prior to a season-ending injury last season, Kitenge earned All-SBC Preseason First Team honors. A dominant presence for the Ragin' Cajuns during the 2023-24 season, the Crawley, England native averaged 11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and shot over 56 percent from the field in 33 games. He recorded five double-doubles, the second most on the team. Kitenge scored in double figures 22 times, including a career high of 25 against Arkansas State. Following the season, he was named All-SBC Third Team.
Little joins the Gauchos' program after having spent the last season at the University of Utah. The 6-foot-3 guard has two years of eligibility remaining. At Utah, the Tampere, Finland native saw action in 33 games, including 12 starts for the Utes. During his time in Salt Lake City, Little scored in double figures seven times, including a career-high 21 points against rival BYU on March 8. He also recorded his first collegiate double-double against Saint Mary's, recording 14 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Out of high school, Little was a top international prospect and a four-star point guard by way of Sunrise Christian Academy. Additionally, he was the youngest player to make his Finnish National Team debut since 1997 at 17 when he played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Mahaney, a 6-foot-3 guard from Lafayette, California, returns to the West Coast after spending the 2024-25 season with back-to-back National Champion UConn Huskies. Mahaney saw action in 34 games and was one of the first off the bench for the Huskies. Averaging 12.5 minutes per game, Mahaney averaged 4.6 points and 1.3 assists per game. He scored in double figures 6 times and scored a season-high 15 against Providence on January 5. Before transferring to UConn, he was a standout on Saint Mary's for two seasons. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he was named a Lou Henson All-American, NABC First Team All-District, First Team All-WCC, WCC All-Tournament Team, WCC All-Freshman Team, a 10-time WCC Freshman of the Week, and despite playing just two seasons for the Gaels, ranks top 15 in multiple three-point shooting categories for single-season and career records.
A 6-foot-6 guard from Atlanta, Georgia, Marvin McGhee IV transfers in-conference from Cal State Bakersfield. In his lone season at Cal State Bakersfield, McGhee IV played in 32 games, making one start. In about 16 minutes of play, he averaged 5.4 points, 2.8 rebounds on 43 percent shooting. He lit it up from deep, shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. He scored a season-high 18 points against UC Davis on 7-of-13 shooting and went 4-for-7 from deep.
The four incoming transfers join a Gaucho team coming off a 21-13 season, their sixth 20-plus win season in the last eight years, while also making it their eighth consecutive winning season, the longest streak in program history.
