Michigan men\u2019s basketball head coach Dusty May has become a guru of sorts when it comes to finding and developing 7-foot big men in college basketball.<\/p>\n
With a strong track record that now consists of Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, who both came to May as raw products, May\u2019s reputation is now widely known across the sport. That reputation not only attracts high school prospects, but with the current transfer portal filled with untapped talent, May has made it no secret he wants to grab established players and bring them to Ann Arbor.<\/p>\n
May sought out to find replacements for Goldin and Wolf this offseason that exhibit traits like ball-handling, passing and rebounding. Enter: UCLA transfer Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3, 255-pounder from Zaragoza, Spain. He came to Westwood as a raw international prospect, but had a clear ability for passing, finishing at the rim and taking up space in the paint to allow those around him to score.<\/p>\n
Mara didn\u2019t receive much playing time out the gate, but by the midway point of last season, it was hard for the Bruins\u2019 staff to keep him off of the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe played against Iowa, and I didn\u2019t play a single minute,\u201d Mara said on the Defend The Block podcast<\/a> this week. \u201cThe next game was against Wisconsin, and I remember I had a really good game.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that game was the game-changer that changed everything during the season. After that, they kept giving me the opportunity and I kept showing what I was able to do. I was super happy to be able to help the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Mara erupted for 22 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 8-of-12 from the free throw line against the Badgers, along with five rebounds and two blocks in an 85-83 upset win.<\/p>\n It is rare that a role player could make such a large impact on winning games, but the stats showed when Mara was on the court, his team played better. By the end of the season, the Bruins were 10-1 when Mara played 15 or more minutes, with the only loss coming in the second-round loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n However, given the fact he only played substantial minutes in half of UCLA\u2019s games last year, Mara looked elsewhere for a larger opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cMy decision to enter the transfer portal was when I saw that the second year (at UCLA), I was still without getting this opportunity to get in the games and help the team,\u201d Mara said. \u201cWe just started thinking about it. Obviously, after the second part of the season, it was tougher because I was playing well.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we finished March Madness, I just wanted to go home, take a break, think about the season, these last two seasons, talk with my family and just make the best decision.\u201d<\/p>\n For the Wolverines, there was an equal desire to find a big man that could play significant minutes and contribute in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor. Michigan constantly showcased complex plays on offense last season, utilizing its front court on the perimeter to facilitate back-cuts, screen-and-rolls and creating mismatches.<\/p>\n When deciding who to target in the portal, May didn\u2019t have to do much homework to understand what Mara is capable of.<\/p>\n \u201cHe really emerged late in the season,\u201d May said in early July. \u201cHe had some big, big games. He didn\u2019t play well against us, but through scouting, we felt like he was \u2014 we had enough information to go aggressively at him when he went into the portal, and he\u2019s exactly what we thought. He\u2019s a wonderful human being, he\u2019s an elite passer, and he\u2019s really, really tall.\u201d<\/p>\n In the same contest, Mara was eyeing the Wolverines, particularly taking note of Goldin\u2019s career-high 36 points<\/a>. Fast forward to his transfer process, that matchup was a contributing factor when making decisions on his future program.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t play a lot that game, I was watching the game. I really liked it \u2014 the way they moved the ball, the way they played against us, the way they used the big men,\u201d Mara said. \u201cWhen I talked to (May), he was telling me that was his idea for this year. It\u2019s very exciting for me, because I\u2019m coming to a program that knows how to use big men and how to play with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Mara is slated to potentially start for Michigan this year. With limited playing time in his previous two seasons, it will be interesting to see what his role will be in Ann Arbor.<\/p>\n There is no question he has the ability to contribute<\/a> in every aspect \u2013 he averaged 6.4 points, four rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes per game last season. He has also proven to be a consistent passer, showcasing a 16.6-percent assist rate a year ago according to KenPom<\/a>.<\/p>\n With a lot of talented scorers on this year\u2019s team, Mara\u2019s skillset could create opportunities not only for himself, but for his teammates as well.<\/p>\n