Aday Mara: The future of the biggest Spanish talent is in the NCAA / News - Basketnews.com

Aday Mara, considered Spain's greatest generational talent, is expected to leave Zaragoza to play college basketball.

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The name of Aday Mara has been ringing in the United States for some time The NBA does not lose detail of everything that Spanish talent does.

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However, according to Relevo, it seems that now, NBA teams will have the chance to get a more thorough look at the 18-year-old prospect following Mara's decision to continue his career overseas after completing his first season as a professional at Casademont Zaragoza.

Even though Mara initially appeared willing to stay in Zaragoza, his camp has decided to pay the buyout to the ACB team in order for the player to pack his bags and continue his career in the NCAA, starting next season.

Per the same report,Aday's final destination points to UCLA, one of the most prestigious universities and the team with the most titles in NCAA history. Mara, who turned 18 on April 7, will be able to showcase himself and also finance his studies from different sponsorships that might amount to a sum close to 600,000 euros. The player's long-term goal is to make the leap to the NBA, where he is expected to be one of the first picks in the 2024 draft.

As of July 1, 2021, college athletes can charge for their name and image after the NCAA Board of Governors approved that players could access different sponsorships. Until then, students were excluded from that type of contract since the league itself understood that "sponsorships were contrary to the nature of university sports."

If he arrives at the University of California Los Angeles, the crafty center would be under the orders of Ivo Simovic, who jumped to the NCAA as a coach at Loyola Maryland University, where he also coached the current Memphis Grizzlies player Santi Aldama.

Mara, who debuted with the Casademont Zaragoza shirt on November 17, 2021 in a BCL match, has become one of the main options for coach Porfirio Fisac. In the ACB, he has averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 12 minutes of play over 20 contests this campaign.

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