For months, the UCLA fanbase has been wondering whether Spanish center Aday Mara would make it to Westwood.
Well, the wait is over.
Mara, who asked out of his professional contract in late May, signed a grant-in-aid agreement with the Bruins, head coach Mick Cronin announced Thursday.
At 7-foot-3, Mara has been hailed as the next big talent to come out of Spain and follow in the footsteps of Pau and Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and a host of others who eventually found their way to the NBA.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Aday to UCLA,” Cronin said in a release. “Throughout this process with Aday, he and his family have stood firm on one thing – that they want a great education for Aday, and to see him grow as a young man at UCLA. He has tremendous size and skill and has developed a great understanding of the game of basketball. He’s a humble young man with great parents, and he’s blessed to stand at 7-foot-3 with such talent and a strong work ethic. Aday has great FIBA experience, having played within the Spanish basketball federation program while winning awards and championships at different levels. We can’t wait to have him here with us in Westwood.”
The 18-year-old has been considered a future first-round draft pick with lottery potential, and he showed why at the FIBA U18 European Championship in Serbia from July 22-30.
Mara, who scored in double figures in six of the seven games, averaged 14.0 points on 61.3% shooting to go with 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while showing off a high basketball IQ during the tournament. His 38-of-62 performance from the field ranked second among all players.
He also made 22 of 29 free throws.
Mara showcased a combination of nimble footwork and patience around the basket, picking his moments to attack the basket or find open teammates as part of a polished offensive arsenal.
Defensively, Mara averaged 2.7 blocks to finish second among all players. Spain limited opponents to 37.1% shooting — including 40.8% on 2-point field goal attempts.
The Spaniards finished second, falling to host Serbia 81-71 in Sunday’s gold-medal game.
Among those in attendance at the event was newly promoted UCLA assistant coach Nate Georgeton.
The big hold up in Mara’s situation was how long it would take Spanish club Casademont Zaragoza to grant him the requested release. Mara announced Wednesday the matter had been settled and that he was looking forward to playing college basketball in the U.S.
Now, he’s set to join a frontcourt that includes reigning Pac-12 Conference freshman of the year and all-defensive team selection Adem Bona, who decided to return to school after initially declaring for the NBA draft.
In less than three weeks, Mara will be headed back to Spain along with his new Bruins teammates when the program starts a nine-day international trip Aug. 20.
Mara's addition is part of the recruiting groundwork left behind by former UCLA assistant coach Ivo Simovic, who left the program after one season for an NBA assistant job with the Toronto Raptors in late June.
Mara joins a 2023 recruiting class that has been infused with a flurry of international talent, including Jan Vide (Slovenia) and Ilane Fibleuil (France), to go with fellow freshmen Sebastian Mack, Devin Williams and Brandon Williams.
In all, the Bruins will have eight new faces including Utah transfer guard Lazar Stefanovic. One more signing is expected to be announced later this week.
It’s a stark contrast to last season’s roster, which featured five players who were part of the program’s run to the 2021 Final Four. UCLA will be without four of its five starters — Bona is the lone returner — and the team’s top five scorers from last season.
