UCLA Men's Basketball: Freshman Big Bringing Atypical Skill To Table

It's hard to not spot Aday Mara when he traverses across the UCLA campus.

At 7-foot-3, the Spanish freshman center stands out like a sore thumb. You'd expect the highly-touted freshman to be an excellent shot blocker. At his size, Mara alters more than a handful of shots. He's also said to be a very good offensive player -- possessing the ability to score with either hand.

With that said, there's still one other skill -- according to UCLA assistant coach Darren Savino -- that might best them all. Speaking with LA Times reporter Ben Bolch, Savino had some interesting comments about the Bruins' freshman big man:

A 7-foot-3 freshman who might be UCLA’s best passer?

It’s a Bunyunesque tale that’s true.https://t.co/Rz1djG6wVq
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) October 4, 2023

"He can dribble, he can move. His touch, you'll see, he can spin and shoot with either hand, and he's an unbelievable passer. He might be our best passer."

- UCLA assistant coach Darren Savino

per Ben Bolch

of the LA Times

Mara's entrance to the team came after a whirlwind recruitment. Mick Cronin spent a ton of time both overseas and on the telephone hoping to convince Mara to attend UCLA rather than languishing on the bench with his former team (a squad in the Spanish First Division).

Mara's skill level is what sets him apart from other big men. With the ability to dish the basketball at an extremely high level, UCLA could opt to go with a jumbo lineup -- using last year's center Adem Bona at the 'four' spot with Mara manning the high post. A high-low situation with these two NBA prospects seems to be tantalizing in theory.

Aday Mara is a tall, tall man. #UCLA pic.twitter.com/RcAGGazJr3
— Jason Fray (@jasonfrayLA) September 28, 2023

Savino elaborated further on Mara and his time with the Bruins thus far:

"It's pretty high-level. Now, he's not going to have the opportunity as much as the guards because they have the ball more. We haven't played any games, but I have never coached a big guy with that kind of skill level on offense. He's such a big person. But then when you get close to him and look at his face and talk to him, he's still a boy almost, he's young in the face. but it's a pretty unique fun thing to see, to have his skills and hands and footwork, be that tall."

- Savino on Mara (

per Ben Bolch

of LA Times)

Bona likely will still start at center for the Bruins, with incoming freshman Berke Buyuktuncel the odds-on favorite to man the vacated Jaime Jaquez Jr. four-man spot. However, make no mistake about it...Mara figures to be a very integral cog in this year's team. At the very worst, he'll be one of UCLA's primary bench options.

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