Aday Mara’s Madison Square Garden breakout: Michigan’s 7-foot-3 Spaniard steals the show

Aday Mara is only 20 years old, stands seven feet three inches and is one of the big up and coming names in basketball. Back in his home country of Spain his name is becoming a sensation.

After two years at UCLA, he transferred to Michigan and made a big first impression on Saturday night with the Wolverines—no less than at Madison Square Garden in New York, in an exhibition game against St. John’s. He started and played exceptionally in Dusty May’s system. May, who took over last season after six years at Florida Atlantic, led Michigan to the powerful Big Ten title and a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA tournament.

Friendly reminder that during his freshman season at UCLA, Aday Mara had a 17.0% assist rate (93rd %ile) with a 1.21x AST:TO ratio. Also drew 7.0 personal fouls/40 min (97th %ile).

Michigan just might have themselves a nice offensive hub option…👀pic.twitter.com/zrTIHMqY33

— Conrado Pascual (@CP3_777) October 26, 2025

Mara looking to make waves at the Wolverines

More than that, after a rocky relationship with the far stricter Mick Cronin in Los Angeles, Mara left Pauley Pavilion with many Bruin fans still on his side, convinced his potential was being limited by overly cautious minutes and a zero-tolerance approach to mistakes.

May, by contrast, is seen as more flexible—both in tactics and philosophy—favoring a faster, more fluid style and bigger lineups that should allow Mara to show his full offensive range. In his Wolverines debut, in what was more than just a friendly (the Bad Boy Mowers Series), Mara started, logged over 24 minutes, and finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 5-for-10 shooting (3-for-4 from the line).

After sitting out the exhibition match against Cincinnati, the 7-foot-3 center from Zaragoza in northern Spain showed his skill as a passer, feeding quicker teammates off the ball in ways rarely seen during his UCLA stint. When it came time to finish, he threw down four dunks. It was a standout performance in a thriller decided in overtime between two top-ranked teams for the upcoming college season, according to the AP Top 25: St. John’s enters at No. 5 (behind Purdue, Houston, Florida and UConn), and Michigan at No. 7 (behind Duke). The Wolverines return much of last year’s core, have added two new top-100 recruits, and landed both Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg from the transfer portal—one of the most sought-after players in the country.

Mara, who could earn close to $1 million through NIL deals, made the move to Michigan partly for that reason—and it already looks like the right call: a powerhouse program, a coach who truly trusts him, and a chance to maximize his skills with real college experience under his belt.

At just 20, he’s still a player of immense promise and talent who will need to keep improving defensively—mobility, versatility, awareness—if he wants to make an NBA leap with confidence. But this year with the storied Wolverines could easily top his two at UCLA. The regular season tips off on November 3 against Oakland, a night when Michigan will raise its 2025 Big Ten championship banner to the rafters at the Crisler Center. The vibes are good.