Scouting Report: What Michigan fans can expect from UCLA transfer C Aday Mara

The Michigan Wolverines have been busy in the transfer portal, landing a few talented bigs including Aday Mara from UCLA. Here’s what U-M fans can expect from the Spanish center:

The offseason for college basketball is in full swing, but Dusty May and his staff haven’t slowed down, with all the roster turnover that has become the norm in the sport.

Michigan’s team next season will look a lot different. Vlad Goldin and Rubin Jones are out of eligibility, four players have transferred out, and four players — North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau , UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg , Illinois center Morez Johnson Jr. , and most recently UCLA center Aday Mara — have committed to the Wolverines from the portal.

The Wolverines proved last season that they know how to handle their seven-footers. Let’s dive into Mara’s tape and project where he fits in Michigan’s rotation.

International Play, Scouting Report

Hailing from Spain, Aday Mara enrolled at UCLA as a five-star recruit, ranked 15th in his class by 247Sports (he doesn’t have a composite rating because he’s an international recruit).

Mara has represented his home country several times, averaging 12.6 points per game in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, 14 points and nine rebounds per game in FIBA U18 European Championship, and most recently, 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in FIBA U20 EuroBasket.

Playing with Spain, Mara showcased proficiency in the pick-and-roll, scoring around the rim by dunking with ease. He’s incredibly nimble for 7-foot-3, not looking clumsy at all as we often see with young bigs that grow that big that quickly. He’s a decent cutter as well, and his capabilities as a lob threat adds another layer to the offense of whatever teams he’s playing on.

Mara’s capabilities as a lob threat captured the attention of Michelle Cadeau, the mother of Elliot, Aday’s future teammate/lob thrower.

In two seasons at UCLA, Mara averaged just 11.4 minutes per game playing for an old-school coach in Mick Cronin who doesn’t always trust underclassmen. This past season, Mara averaged 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, providing valuable minutes on both ends for the Bruins off the bench.

KenPom has a feature that compares seasons to past one-year samples of previous players across the sport. Mara’s 2024-25 season earned a comparison to 2022 Vlad Goldin, the season before the Final Four run; May clearly has a type.

Looking at highlights from the Michigan/UCLA game this past season, Mara scored on a smooth hook shot over Will Tschetter (2:15 in clip below) before getting dunked on by Goldin minutes later (2:35). To be fair to Mara, though, Goldin dunked on pretty much everybody in that game.

Mara thrives at posting in the middle of the lane, something May had Goldin do to make it harder for aggressive defensive teams like Maryland to double him. The 240-pounder doesn’t get pushed off his spot in the post, posting up with a wide stance before making a quick move to the rim. Seventy percent of Mara’s field goal attempts came at the rim, and he made 69 percent of those attempts. Fairly efficient, exactly what you want from a 7-footer.

He passes well out of the post, seeing over defenses with ease. Mara is a smart shot-blocker who can track driving guards and deflect attempts while barely getting off the ground. I wouldn’t call him an elite rim protector, but he could certainly grow into one.

Mara doesn’t have the playmaking ability of Danny Wolf or the physicality on defense of Goldin, but he knows what he is and excels in his role. In terms of a comp, think Los Angeles Clippers starting center Ivica Zubac; he can take advantage of mismatches, always provides a lob threat and give his team stability around the rim on both ends.

Where Mara fits in Michigan’s rotation

With his size and upside, I do see Mara competing for a starting spot with the Wolverines.

He’s obviously taller than Morez Johnson Jr., listed at 6-foot-9. That said, Johnson is better at embracing physicality and rebounding, so he may get the starting nod. But Michigan does have two good new centers with contrasting styles; think Trevion Williams and a young Zach Edey on Purdue’s 2021-22 team that ultimately fell to Saint Peters. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves — Johnson and Mara aren’t nearly as skilled as Williams and Edey right now, but they have the upside to grow into similar players.

Like Johnson, Mara fits well alongside Will Tschetter, with Tschetter’s ability to stretch the floor. Mara is always going to be a lob threat and he runs the pick-and-roll well, something that I’m sure Cadeau, L.J. Cason, Trey McKenney and any other ball handlers Michigan adds in the portal will love.

At the very worst, Mara provides Michigan with depth in the backcourt with the upside to grow into a starting-caliber center. We saw how much Goldin and Wolf improved at Michigan this past season. Similar growth from Mara raises the ceiling of the program significantly.

What are your thoughts on Mara, and what do you still want to see Michigan do in the portal? Let us know in the comments.