Former UCLA center Aday Mara wins NCAA title with Michigan
· Yahoo Sports
Look away Bruin fans. One year after leaving UCLA, former Bruin center Aday Mara won the NCAA national title on Monday as a member of the Michigan Wolverines. Mara and Michigan knocked off the UConn Huskies 69-63 to bring home the program's second ever NCAA title.
Mara was a key contributor for the Wolverines, winning the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Mara’s size was a factor in Monday’s win, as he scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot in 30 minutes against UConn.
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The 7’3 Mara had even better stats on the season, putting up 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per season. In two seasons with UCLA, Mara was never able to become a major factor in the Bruins rotation. During his two years with UCLA, Mara made just nine starts.
Michigan started Mara in 38 of his 39 games this season, giving the Wolverines a top-of-the-line rim protector and a constant lob threat on the other side. It’s still a mystery on why UCLA was so hesitant to give Mara a major runway to playing time as an underclassmen, leading Mara to transfer after his sophomore season.
While it hurts to see Mara take a conference rival to a national title, Michigan helped slow down Dan Hurley’s run at UConn. UConn was a win away from three titles in four years, which is how UCLA and John Wooden began their run of dominance in the 1960s. For now Hurley will have to sit on his two rings, while Mara gets his first.
A return to Michigan is possible for Mara but heading to the NBA makes sense too. With his size, Mara is worth a flier in the NBA Draft.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Aday Mara wins NCAA championship a season after leaving UCLA