Michigan’s Aday Mara Fires Shot At UCLA, ‘Didn’t Have The Opportunity To Show What I Was Able To Do’
Aday Mara had the game of his life in Michigan’s 91-73 blowout of Arizona in the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.
And then the 7-foot-3 Spaniard didn’t hold back while firing a shot across the bow of his former school.
Advertisement
Mara, 20. transferred to Michigan ahead of this season after two years at UCLA.
“I was just saying the process of being here in this year, I’m so grateful and so happy that I’m able to play with this group,” Mara said after dominating Arizona to the tune of a career-best 26 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists despite averaging 11.8 points and 6.8 boards coming in. “I’m able to fight for the national title.
“But it was a process just coming from maybe two years that I didn’t have the opportunity to show what I was able to do, and now just to be in this position. But it was a long year, tough year. But it was fun, too. We’re just having fun.
Advertisement
“We know it’s just one more, so we’re going to try to get it.”
Michigan will bid for its second NCAA championship and first since 1989 when it takes on UConn Monday night. The Huskies are seeking their third national title in four years, and seventh overall.
UConn assistants Luke Murray and Mike Nardi scouted Michigan from courtside in the second game, and must’ve been thinking they would have their hands full with Mara.
He’s the first player to have his first career 25-point game come in the Final Four since 1971, when Steve Patterson scored 29 in the championship game to help UCLA win its fifth straight title, per OptaSTATS.
Advertisement
“He’s just a good player, you know, really unique,” said 6-8 Arizona freshman Koa Peat, a projected NBA first-round pick. “He had a really good game tonight. So props to them.”
“Aday was sensational,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “He was at the rim, catching lobs. He was a force down low. He was a pressure release up top. I mean, he’s such a smart basketball player.
“And obviously his rim protection — he did a great job on Peat. He did a great job forcing a lot of those misses around the basket because of his aggression.”
Advertisement
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – APRIL 04: Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates with teammates after making a layup through contact against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Mara was a highly sought after international recruit who committed to UCLA in 2023 after averaging just 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds the previous season for Basket Zaragoza. He had to undergo a complicated split with his pro team before coming to UCLA.
At UCLA, he averaged 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds during the 2023-24 season and then 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds the following year. That year he started just one game as an injury replacement for Tyler Bilodeau.
Advertisement
Per the Los Angeles Times, “Coach Mick Cronin explained during the season that Mara’s usage was limited by matchups, conditioning and a few illnesses. Mara acknowledged there were times he asked to come out of games because he expended full energy in short spurts.”
After two seasons, he opted to transfer out and ended up staying within the Big Ten at Michigan.
“I knew that I wasn’t going to play a lot,” Mara told the L.A. Times, “so I was going like 100% — that’s why I was getting tired because I knew that it was going to be six minutes [of playing time] and if I play well it was going to be 15, so I was going like 100% and sometimes, yeah, I said like, ‘I’m tired, I need some rest,’ you know? But I think it’s a common thing if you try hard and you play hard.”
Advertisement
He added: “I had expectations when I came here that I didn’t achieve. Also, I think I felt like I was playing good, practicing good, practicing hard, you know, putting in extra work and until Wisconsin [when he scored 22 points] I never had the opportunity to show that I was able to play, you know? And once [Cronin] gave me the opportunity, I saw — not a lot, but I saw what I could do, so those are the two reasons.”
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – APRIL 04: Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines and Head coach Tommy Lloyd of the Arizona Wildcats shake hands following the game in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Mara is currently a projected second-round draft pick, but certainly helped his stock on Saturday.
Advertisement
“Aday’s put [in] a lot of work … it takes time to grow into this role,” May said. “He’s physically more mature than he was.
“Did we envision this? We went back and we looked at his film and playing with the Spanish national team, playing for Zaragoza and he had shown glimpses of this.
“I mean, coming over he was projected on the mock drafts as maybe a lottery pick, top 10 pick, as just like a lot of those guys are. And then those things changed. But he’s playing ball at a high level and he’s added a lot a lot to our program.”
He sure has.
And now he has Michigan within one victory of its first championship in more 36 years.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
