Bill Plaschke calls out Mick Cronin for mishandling center Aday Mara
LA Times writer Bill Plaschke voiced his frustrations towards Mick Cronin for allowing center Aday Mara to transfer. Mara played sparingly with UCLA.
The 7’3” former UCLA Bruin center Aday Mara sure landed on his feet. After two seasons coming off of the bench for the UCLA Bruins , Mara left Los Angeles for the Michigan Wolverines and won an NCAA title. Mara was terrific for Michigan this season , which isn’t too surprising, as a player with Mara’s size and ability to move is a valuable defensive weapon.
At times over Mara’s two seasons in LA it felt like Mick Cronin didn’t value Mara's value on the court as much as he could. The Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke wrote how Mick Cronin squandered Mara’s potential with UCLA, forcing the center to depart in the portal to reach his potential. “Meet Mick Cronin’s nightmare, a 7-foot-3 indictment of his embattled program, a monumental mistake that has spent three weeks eating at the heart of even the most dedicated Bruin loyalists,” Plaschke said.
“In Michigan’s overpowering run in this tournament, Mara was everywhere. Playing the previous two seasons at UCLA, Mara was nowhere. ” After UCLA landed the five-star recruit Mara, you would have expected the center to have a larger role with the Bruins but that never materialized, even with Mara showing flashes of greatness on the court.
“His rim protection is powerful. His shot-blocking is masterful. His footwork is precise, his shooting touch soft and his overall game has been improving with his maturity,” Plaschke wrote.