Aday Mara on moving to Michigan: ‘I actually liked the
Michigan Wolverines basketball landed one of the most interesting players in the NCAA website this offseason, bringing in 7-foot-3, 255-pound UCLA center transfer Aday Mara. The Zaragoza, Spain, native is huge– plainly– and very knowledgeable on both ends of the floor.
The current junior was likewise a game-changer in the second half of UCLA’s season, when he started to play increasingly more. UCLA was 10-1 when Mara played 15-plus minutes, with the only loss being available in the NCAA Tournament second-round loss to Tennessee.
“We played against Iowa, and I didn’t play a single minute,” Mara said on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast with Brian Boesch. “The next game was against Wisconsin, and I remember I had an actually good game.”
Mara definitely did, exploding for 22 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 8-of-12 from the charity stripe, including 5 rebounds and 2 blocks to make Kenpom MVP honors in an 85-83 win at Pauley Structure.
“I would say that game was the game-changer that changed everything during the season,” Mara continued. “After that, they kept offering me the chance, and I kept revealing what I had the ability to do. I was super delighted to be able to help the team.”
However not playing as much was a big reason Mara got in the website after the season, and the chance at Michigan as soon as he did go to complimentary agency was too great to pass up.
“My choice to get in the transfer website was when I saw that the 2nd year [at UCLA], I was still without getting this opportunity to get in the games and help the group,” Mara stated. “We just started thinking about it. Certainly, after the 2nd part of the season, it was harder due to the fact that I was playing well.
“When we ended up March Madness, I just wanted to go home, take a break, think of the season, these last two seasons, talk with my household and just make the best choice that I thought it was, make the best choice.”
Michigan head coach Dusty May prioritized Mara in the website, and the 2 visions lined up.
“Once I entered into the transfer portal, I talked with a couple groups, but the one that I resembled really, actually interested in was this one,” Mara said of Michigan. “I talked with Coach, and I actually liked it, simply the way they play, the method they do whatever. That’s why that was my final decision.”
May didn’t need to offer Mara on anything. Mara saw for himself what Michigan could do for huge men, with the Wolverines winning 94-75 over the Bruins in Los Angeles Jan. 7. He paid attention to the way Michigan played, and how 7-foot-1 big man Vladislav Goldin dominated with 36 points.
“Since I didn’t play a lot that game, I was watching the game, and I truly liked it– the method they moved the ball, the way they played against us, the method they utilized the huge males,” Mara stated.
“When I talked with Coach, he was telling me that, that was his idea for this year. It’s really exciting for me, due to the fact that I’m pertaining to a program that knows how to use huge males and how to play with them.”
Mara averaged 6.4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 help in 13 minutes per game last season. Quickly the most interesting of those 3 statistics is the assist number, with Mara’s passing being an unique ability for his size.
He didn’t satisfy the 40 percent minutes limit on Kenpom, however he would’ve ranked 37th in the Big 10 with his 16.6-percent help rate a year back. Only 2 players taller than 6-foot-9 check in ahead of his number– Michigan’s Danny Wolf (22.7) and Wisconsin big guy Steve Crowl ( 18.3 ).
“Given that I was a child and I was beginning to play basketball, I constantly wished to make an expensive pass,” he stated. “Since I was a child, I was making all these passes. I truly like it. I really prefer to make an actually excellent assist than make, I do not know, a basket. They always told me that when you make a help, it makes 2 individuals pleased. If you score, it’s simply you.
“I truly like the game when you see all this ball motion, all these passes.
“My daddy told me he was a fantastic passer. I likewise watch [Denver Nuggets center Nikola] Jokić and [former NBA huge guy] Mark Gasol highlights, so I try to imitate and recreate their passes.”
Mara kept in mind that the entire Michigan team is unselfish, going to share the ball, and that junior point player Elliot Cadeau– a North Carolina transfer– is an “elite passer.” The two established some instant chemistry on the court this summertime.
“We’ve played a couple practices together, and he offered me a lot of lobs, a lot of [passes] in the pick and roll,” Mara stated. “He was likewise cutting, and I provided him a number of passes. I have actually truly had a good time having fun with him, since I believe he’s truly clever playing in the choice and roll. I like to have fun with him.”