UCLA’s Mara cleared by NCAA for competition

UCLA star freshman Aday Mara was cleared for competition by the NCAA on Friday, the school announced.

“UCLA Athletics, Aday Mara and his family would like to thank the NCAA, his attorney Stu Brown and UCLA Senior Associate Athletic Director Erin Adkins for their work and cooperation during this process,” head coach Mick Cronin said in a statement.

A 7-foot-3 center from Spain, Mara is arguably the best international prospect entering college basketball this season. He has consistently dominated on the international scene, averaging 14.0 points and 9.1 rebounds at the FIBA U18 European Championships last summer and putting up 19.1 points and 12.6 rebounds for the Zaragoza U18 team at the Spain U18 club championships.

Mara is a projected lottery pick in ESPN’s most recent 2024 mock draft and was ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s international freshman rankings.

Mara is one of four international freshmen entering the UCLA program this spring, alongside Berke Buyuktuncel, Jan Vide and Ilane Fibleuil. Buyuktuncel, a Turkey native who starred at last summer’s FIBA U19 World Cup, is another potential one-and-done NBA draft pick, but he’s still awaiting NCAA clearance.

UCLA opens the 2023-24 season against St. Francis on Monday.