The second season of Aday Mara at UCLA, after a first year of adaptation to the NCAA game, seemed to be the one for his confirmation in American basketball to promote himself as an NBA project… but the Spanish colossus, 2.21m and 19 years old, is not enjoying opportunities to achieve this with the ‘Bruins’ (mythical factory of pivots for the NBA).
In UCLA’s last game, which coach Mick Cronin’s team lost 74-95 to Michigan, the former Casademont Zaragoza player played nine minutes, scoring four points (one of two in two-point shooting and two of two in free throws).
In his sophomore year, Aday Mara is averaging 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 9.8 minutes, playing virtually the same amount of time (9.5 minutes) as in his freshman year when he averaged 3.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks.
The impact Aday Mara had in the ACB and NBA at just 17 years of age: “The sky is the limit”
Aday Mara’s performance in the NCAA contrasts with the impact the center had with Casademont Zaragoza, with whom he made his debut at the age of 17 years, six months and nine days, in his first 22 games in the ACB: 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 11:47 minutes, with highs of 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Chris Ebersole, the NBA’s director of international basketball operations, analyzed Aday Mara’s role in the NBA’s BWB Global Camp during the 2023 All-Star Weekend. “I think he has a great opportunity to make it to the NBA. Many teams are already following him and have a good impression of him. In 2015 we had Lauri Markkanen and Jamal Murray and we didn’t know they could become NBA stars. He is on that path to be able to play in the United States and have a great impact with his future team.”
“He’s a very special player, with unique fundamentals for someone of that size. He’s much more than a tall guy. Defensively, because of his height, he’s a guarantee near the rim. But in today’s NBA he’s going to be asked for more mobility. It’s always difficult for such tall players at any level, but he’s already shown signs that he can get much better at that as well. For me, the sky is the limit,” he said.
The good words of the UCLA coach about Aday Mara have been forgotten
Aday Mara has not managed to be a reliable interior for Cronin despite meeting his demands for physical improvements: “He has gained more than 12 kilos of muscle”.
My fear with Aday Mara was that he would not realise and that he would just come out and say: “I’m very high in the rankings, put me in the game”, without fighting
“It doesn’t matter how tall you are if you don’t have the strength to make that height a factor in your favor. He found that out last year. Aday is fully engaged with his body. The most important thing is that he is aware and that he has realized that he has to improve his fitness and strength. Players who are not aware of this do not improve, you can only help players who are involved. My fear was that he would not realize and just go out and say, ‘I’m very high in the rankings, put me to play,’ without fighting,” said Mick Cronin about the Spanish center at the beginning of the season.
If you come into the game and fight for minutes, as Aday Mara has done, the last thing you can do is turn around… and that’s the first thing he did
In November 2024, after a game in which Aday Mara barely played three minutes after losing two balls, the UCLA coach was very critical of the Spanish center, who in the previous game scored 16 points in 13 minutes: “If you come into the game and fight for minutes, as Aday Mara has done, the last thing you can do is turn around… and that’s the first thing he did.”
Mick Cronin’s big rant against his UCLA players: “It’s a joke”
Mick Cronin was also very harsh, this time with all the UCLA players, after losing to Michigan in what was the third loss for the Bruins in the last four games.
We have players who think they are much better than they really are
“We’re soft… every day, I have more passion and energy in practice than anyone else. I’m tired of it. It’s a joke… The truth is, it’s really hard to coach people who are in their own world. The hungry dog is the one that ends up getting the bone,” Cronin said angrily after losing to Michigan.
The UCLA coach said, “We have guys that think they’re a lot better than they are. They are good guys, but they are completely delusional about who they are. I’m disappointed in everybody in that locker room, my assistants and my players.”
What Mick Cronin has no doubt about is his ability to lead a program like UCLA’s: “I don’t have to prove anything. I’ve won almost 500 games and I’m only 53 years old. Some might think I should be coaching the Lakers…. This is a joke. It’s a joke. And yet I coach with more passion, energy and pride than all of them.”
