UCLA Basketball: Freshman Aday Mara Isn't A Phenom Just Yet

7’3” UCLA Bruins center Aday Mara has yet to achieve his final form on the hardwood.

After starting off his freshman season off the bench behind redshirt senior Kenneth Nwuba, Mara has emerged as the long-term frontcourt fix alongside 6’10” power forward Adem Bona, the reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. But that doesn’t mean he looks like the 2024 NBA lottery pick he’s projected to be quite yet.

Head coach Mick Cronin believes Mara needs to adjust to playing through contact to really take his next leap, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

“What’s good for Aday is to come to college, get beat up, force himself to get stronger, learn how to play with people trying to beat him up and go through it every day,” Mick Cronin said. “Now you fight through it and you become a real player that can have a very long, successful career.”

Through his first seven college contests so far (four starts), averaging 5.1 points on 55.2% shooting from the floor and 50% shooting from the charity stripe, 3.1 rebounds, one assist and a block. He'll have an opportunity to put up more robust numbers tomorrow afternoon, when UCLA squares off against the Villanova Wildcats.

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