Aday Mara, UCLA in for Intriguing Year in College Basketball

UCLA will lean on international basketball prospects for the upcoming season, and it could yield plenty of wins for the Bruins.

College basketball has long been dominated by blue bloods who continually land the top recruits in the nation.

UCLA however is set to roll out a new strategy next season, vying for some top international talent rather than five-stars strewn throughout the U.S. And with some of the top players in the world coming from overseas — including the last three NBA MVP’s in Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo — it’s certainly not the worst game plan.

Despite losing out on talents like Jaime Jaquez, Amari Bailey and plenty of others, the Bruins are set to reload.

Adem Bona will be the teams best returning player. At 6-foot-10, the freshman averaged 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, utilizing his physicality to become a strong defensive presence.

But Bona will also be flanked by a variety of other international talent. The best of which will be Spain’s Aday Mara.

At 7-foot-3, Mara could very well be a catalyst for UCLA’s success next season. At just 17, he jumped from high school to immediate professional production with Zaragoza. He has elite physical tools, with immense length — a 7-foot-7 wingspan — as well as a nice overall frame at 242 pounds.

He’s also more coordinated and fluid than your typical 7-footer, making him a player NBA scouts will be keen to watch.

The Bruins also landed 6-foot-9 forward Berke Buyuktunkel of Turkey, Slovenian guard Jan Vide and French guard Ilane Fibleuil.

Suffice to say, international fingerprints are going to be all over UCLA’s season. And with success, it could very well spark a movement throughout college basketball as international hoops continues to trend upwards.

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