From these summer workouts, Mara learned that May backed up his promises, given corresponding hard work on his end. The family atmosphere wasn’t a ploy to get the center to sign, it was a key part of the foundation that the Wolverines’ coach was trying to build. And while it’s easy to say it worked now with Michigan two games away from a national championship, the team and Mara clearly bought in from the onset.

As the season began, May didn’t shy away from keeping up his promises to Mara. During Christmas, Mara remained in town while everyone else took off to their respective corners of the world. May took initiative, inviting Mara to work out one-on-one. Not just having him play as a body on the block, May worked with Mara on all parts of his game, including his shooting — helping Mara do something for the first time in his collegiate career.

***

Going into Michigan’s rematch against Ohio State, Mara had shot just four attempts from beyond the arc in his entire collegiate career. All four being misses and then matching up against a similarly sized center in the form of Christoph Tilly, it would’ve been understandable for Mara to keep his offensive success within the paint. But in his highest scoring game of the year, Mara couldn’t help letting a couple fly from downtown.

Not in a late-clock situation, not baiting for a foul, just recognizing that Tilly was dropping low when he was beyond the arc, Mara fired off the fifth 3-pointer of his career. Off the target, Mara didn’t let his miss get in his head, swishing his sixth and seventh attempt.

Again, it wasn’t for a lack of skill.

“Obviously, I’ve been practicing 3-pointers,” Mara said Feb. 8 post-Ohio State. “I don’t want to rush, I don’t want to take bad shots. So I saw that that was open, I just shot it. But again, I’m confident with my shot. It’s in my game. It’s just that I haven’t shot it for two years, but I know it’s there.”

Two misses and nearly as many months later, Mara made his third 3-pointer Sunday in the NCAA Tournament against No. 6 seed Tennessee. While Mara was trailing in transition, graduate guard Nimari Burnett swung the ball to him at the top of the arc. Mara took the shot in stride, hitting a three in the biggest game of his life. If there was any doubt whether Mara really did gain confidence throughout the year, a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left on the shot clock in an Elite Eight game put them to rest.

***

The 3-pointer wasn’t the only shot Mara developed this year. Mara struggled from the free-throw line, hovering around 40% in the early part of the year. While not atypical for centers, his challenge with converting on trips to the line wasn’t mechanical like it is for many players of his stature. A fluid motion without bringing the ball behind his head or tilting it on the horizontal axis, Mara’s form is solid. This, combined with the fact that he hit free throws with twice as much efficiency during practice, pointed to mental problems over physical ones.

“It was funny, because in practice I was making all the free throws,” Mara said March 26. “ … In practice, we always have to make a couple free throws to win the game, so it counts. (May) was telling me to shoot those free throws, and I was making those. I was just telling all the coaches I come to practice and I have, like, 80-90% and then I go to the games and they didn’t go in.”

Around the end of the season, a new trend began to appear. Spurred on by his coach’s belief in him and the knowledge that there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with his shot, his shots at the line began dropping through the cup a little more. Removing the first half of the season, Mara’s free-throw average jumped up 30 points, with the center sinking 36 of his last 43 shots in the previous two months.

“The first part of the season I was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting to the free throw line, I’m probably gonna miss,’ ” Mara said. “It was just that mindset when I was shooting free throws. And the only thing that I changed is now when I get to the line (I’m thinking) ‘I’m gonna make these two of the free throws.’ ”

Sometimes that’s all that needs to change.

***

When asked about his one-on-one time with May, specifically watching film, Mara quickly harkened back to Christmas time and to the difference from being with the Bruins.

“I’m watching a lot more film with coach,” Mara said March 28. “And also I remember from Christmas, for example, I was here in town. I was in Ann Arbor and Dusty was a guy who was coming with me, practicing. I didn’t do that in UCLA. I was always with the assistant coaches, but working out with the head coach, him looking at how you’re doing different things, you’re seeing him (and you) realize that he wants you to improve.”

A bit more reposed, Mara continued:

“I don’t know what to say, but you feel that he wants you to improve or to get better, you know. So that’s better for you as a player, with the confidence, he’s trying to help you.”

Suffice it to say that UCLA was probably the wrong place for Mara. Sure, being a big man in a frontcourt-centric system helps, but it’s the support and opportunity that May has given him that’s allowed Mara to showcase his potential. The skill was always there, it just took joining a program that laid the foundation for him to stand tall.

Lowest opponent FG% allowed at the rim this season (min. 25 DFGA):

36.8 - Aday Mara
.
41.4 - Rudy Gobert
42.1 - Neemias Queta
42.9 - Donovan Clingan
45.5 - Alex Sarr
46.2 - Kevin Durant

狀元幾鐘意用shimmy jab

空晒入樽都炒粉

可以收返之前巫師入playoff個句=.=

打左好幾場都無乜form

塘鵝擺poole入雪櫃
特登對勇士先拎返出黎用，侮辱性極強

助教+1

可以收返之前巫師入playoff個句=.=

打左好幾場都無乜form

AD唔係好勁咩？

旗哥40分

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

可以收返之前巫師入playoff個句=.=

打左好幾場都無乜form

AD唔係好勁咩？

WIZARDS根本就係弱智/內奸 管理層. 收咗人$$$
6000萬殘兵自毁, 靚首抽救唔到弱智.

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

硬朗進一步提昇, 最緊要保持健康.

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

40pts 11reb 8blk

只係打咗25分鐘

可以收返之前巫師入playoff個句=.=

打左好幾場都無乜form

AD唔係好勁咩？

WIZARDS根本就係弱智/內奸 管理層. 收咗人$$$
6000萬殘兵自毁, 靚首抽救唔到弱智.

呢個陣容其實都算完整甚至豪華
到底係教練問題定點

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

應該都係睇頭三邊個出席率高
所以最緊要唔好傷

可以收返之前巫師入playoff個句=.=

打左好幾場都無乜form

AD唔係好勁咩？

等於籃網Randle
你見佢個人數據好，但唔等於隊波好
無一個完整體系

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

硬朗進一步提昇, 最緊要保持健康.

有D 似網球
80後直接skip咗90後
皇者地位隔代傳俾00後

所以, 早幾頁話NYK賣KAT, 我覺得NON SENSE 勁UP 花邊野.
已經無咗ROBINSON, 仲賣埋KAT, 點頂斑馬? 點可能同季棄兩件高佬?

你話好似雷收咗件MARA就另計.

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

硬朗進一步提昇, 最緊要保持健康.

有D 似網球
80後直接skip咗90後
皇者地位隔代傳俾00後

真係唔敢講, 轉頭大傷乜都玩向左走向右走完都有可能.
現世代球員速度太快, 太密比賽, 太多娛樂影嚮休息, ...

多謝咖喱大哥, 將全NBA節奏加快到人人皆易傷

今年MVP真係9成係斑馬攞
防守已經屈到痴線
進攻依家仲要咁有效率

硬朗進一步提昇, 最緊要保持健康.

有D 似網球
80後直接skip咗90後
皇者地位隔代傳俾00後

真係唔敢講, 轉頭大傷乜都玩向左走向右走完都有可能.
現世代球員速度太快, 太密比賽, 太多娛樂影嚮休息, ...

多謝咖喱大哥, 將全NBA節奏加快到人人皆易傷

太陽nash帶起玩跑轟

所以, 早幾頁話NYK賣KAT, 我覺得NON SENSE 勁UP 花邊野.
已經無咗ROBINSON, 仲賣埋KAT, 點頂斑馬? 點可能同季棄兩件高佬?

你話好似雷收咗件MARA就另計.

我諗要賣會係因為人工計唔掂，唔係人事/陣容問題
雙方傾唔埋欄真係有機會發生
第二個cap罰得太甘冇老闆想俾錢

可以收返之前巫師入playoff個句=.=

打左好幾場都無乜form

AD唔係好勁咩？

等於籃網Randle
你見佢個人數據好，但唔等於隊波好
無一個完整體系

咁真心, AD係勁, 佢啱啱傷完出返來乍, 有影嚮好正常.
總之頂薪收件容易受傷的男人就係弱智.