ADAY MARA NEWS

Big night in crushing win Mara closed Tuesday's 88-43 victory over Southern Utah with six points (3-6 FG, 0-1 FT), eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 18 minutes.

Impact Mara notched six points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal as the Bruins dominated Southern Utah on Tuesday night. The 7-foot-3 sophomore has made the most of his limited opportunities this season, averaging 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 blocks on 10.3 minutes per game (seven outings). Mara remains in a deep bench role for the Bruins in his second season with the program.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Career-high 16 points against Lehigh Mara finished with 16 points (7-8 FG, 2-4 FT) and six rebounds across 13 minutes during Friday's 85-45 victory over Lehigh.

Impact Mara made the most of Friday's lopsided affair against Lehigh, posting a career-best 16 points across just 16 minutes of action. The 7-foot-3 center remains firmly behind Tyler Bilodeau at the five spot, but he may be able to jump William Kyle's spot in the Bruins' rotation if he continues to shine on limited opportunities.

NOVEMBER 18 • ROTOWIRE

Strong defensive presence against BU Mara notched seven points (2-6 FG, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds and one block in 11 minutes during Monday's 71-40 win over Boston University.

Impact Mara notched seven rebounds and one block on the defensive side of the ball across 11 minutes of action against the Terriers on Monday. The 7-foot-3 sophomore averaged 3.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks across 28 games last season and looks poised for a similar role with the Bruins this season.

NOVEMBER 11 • ROTOWIRE

Available before regular season Mara (foot) logged eight points (4-4 FG) and five rebounds across seven minutes during UCLA's exhibition game Wednesday against Cal State (LA).

Impact Mara averaged 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds across 9.5 minutes across his 28 games (eight started) during UCLA's 2023-24 season. Now a sophomore, the big man's center competition continues to be tough, this time involving transfers Tyler Bilodeau and William Kyle III. The Bruins' exhibition indicates Bilodeau is their most preferred option at center, leaving Mara to fight Kyle for a less valuable but worthy reserve role.

OCTOBER 30 • ROTOWIRE

Seen practicing Mara (foot) was seen practicing and going through individual drills, Tracy McDonald of Rivals.com reports.

Impact The last time reporters saw the Bruins practice, Mara was off to the side doing strength and conditioning drills. This is obviously a step up, even if the center isn't practicing fully yet. Mara remains questionable for UCLA's opener against Rider, but is clearly trending in the right direction.

OCTOBER 30 • ROTOWIRE

Rest Wednesday, should be back soon Mara (foot) is not participating in UCLA's team practice Wednesday but should be back in practice within a week, according to 247Sports.

Impact UCLA's basketball team has commenced engagement in preseason practices, for which Mara will not be immediately available. However, the 7-foot-3 center practicing within one week should help him be ready for UCLA's exhibition game against Cal State L.A. on Oct. 30. Even more on the plus side is Mara using the six weeks he sat out to add muscle, which can add to his previously recorded 240-pound frame.

SEPTEMBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Seen wearing protective boot Mara was seen wearing a protective boot around his foot this week, according to Tracy Pierson of 247Sports.com.

Impact Mara's right foot requires a protective boot, which indicates he needs at least some time to recover. Fortunately for him, more than multiple months remain before the Bruins begin their 2024-25 season.

AUGUST 23 • ROTOWIRE

Excerpt: Aday Mara Talks About Adjusting from International to American Ball UCLA center Aday Mara talked about the biggest adjustments between international and American basketball…

MARCH 29 • 247SPORTS.COM

Excerpt: Mick Cronin on Aday Mara's Game Vs. USC, Improvements, Mentality UCLA head coach Mick Cronin talked about the progress of center Aday Mara…

FEBRUARY 28 • 247SPORTS.COM

Adem Bona on Aday Mara's Recent Play, Stefanovic's Training, and More UCLA post player Adem Bona talked about the team stepping up when he's on the bench in foul trouble, making decisions for better ball moveme...

FEBRUARY 7 • 247SPORTS.COM

Doesn't see court Sunday Mara did not take the court in Sunday's 73-61 victory over Washington.

Impact No reports of an injury ever surfaced here, so until further notice, Mara was a healthy scratch for this one. Adem Bona drew the start at center, while Kenneth Nwuba served as the backup. Considering this alignment helped the Bruins snap a four-game losing streak, it wouldn't be surprising to see Mara limited moving forward. Once considered an NBA prospect, Mara's draft stock has plummeted due to inconsistent play this season. Despite logging eight starts, he's only scored in double figures once. Through six games since Dec. 28 (two DNPs), Mara has only recorded a total of four points. He can likely be safely dropped in most fantasy formats, or benched at the very least.

JANUARY 15 • ROTOWIRE

Starting Thursday Mara is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against Utah.

Impact Mara will enter the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 22, replacing Berke Buyuktuncel. Mara has not played over 10 minutes in each of his last four appearances and shouldn't be expected to see a major bump in minutes despite his move into the first five. He and Adem Bona boast some major size and will look to give the Utes trouble in the paint.

JANUARY 11 • ROTOWIRE

Ken Nwuba on Being Veteran on Young Team, Aday Mara and Utah Veteran post Ken Nwuba talked Tuesday about helping his young teammates get through the current slump, Aday Mara's personality, and going on...

JANUARY 10 • 247SPORTS.COM

Mick Cronin Talks Ilane Fibleuil's Development, Aday Mara, Shelstad's Shot, and Jaime in the NBA UCLA head coach Mick Cronin talked about Jaime Jaquez's performance in the NBA, what he's seen out of Ilane Fibleuil and Aday Mara in practi...

JANUARY 2 • 247SPORTS.COM

UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Reveals Why Aday Mara is Getting Less Minutes for Bruins Mick Cronin details what has led to Aday Mara getting fewer minutes on the court.

DECEMBER 29, 2023 • SACBEE.COM

Aday Mara Shows Off Potential in 78-58 Win Over Long Island UCLA won an ugly one over Long Island 78-58, but Aday Mara showed off some of his beautiful offensive skill in the doing.

NOVEMBER 16, 2023 • 247SPORTS.COM

Mick Cronin on Aday Mara, Rebounding, Empty Possessions, Defense UCLA head coach Mick Cronin discussed center Aday Mara's production, need for improvements with rebounding, and not having empty possessions...

NOVEMBER 16, 2023 • 247SPORTS.COM

Logs 14 points, four blocks Mara logged 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, four blocks and two assists across 24 minutes during UCLA's win Wednesday against LIU-Brooklyn.

Impact Despite not having much collegiate experience, Mara makes up for it with international experience. Most recently, Mara participated in the FIBA U18 European Championships, of which his stats were not much different from what he logged Wednesday. He averaged 14.0 points and 2.7 blocks across his seven games of the tournament. Standing at 7-foot-3 and having displayed scoring prowess on an international stage, Mara is expected to be a two-way menace for UCLA if the team continues having him as its starting center.

NOVEMBER 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Notches start against LIU Mara will start for the Bruins against LIU on Wednesday night.

Impact Mara is set to log his first start of the season against LIU. The massive freshman was previously dealing with an eligibility issue, but he's appeared in UCLA's first two games and will get his first career start Wednesday night. So far this season, the center has averaged 3.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists across 8.0 minutes.

NOVEMBER 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Officially good to go The NCAA has been officially cleared by the NCAA and will be available for Monday's season opener against St. Francis, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reports.

Impact Mara had been dealing with an eligibility issue but has now officially been cleared to play this season. The 7-foot-3 freshman is expected to start for UCLA in the frontcourt.

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sits out exhibition game Mara (not injury related) did not play during UCLA's exhibition game Tuesday Hills due to ineligibility, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.

Impact UCLA acquired Mara from abroad, but there appears to be an NCAA eligibility issue that still needs to be cleared up. The 7-3 center's status is effectively unclear for Monday's opener against Saint Francis. In the meantime, Adem Bona should start at center assuming he's cleared of a shoulder injury, with Kenneth Nwuba on hand in a reserve capacity. The Bruins have also been experimenting with alignments that feature both the 6-10 Bona and Mara on the court at the same time.

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE