The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543210
60 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 and watching them — because they were in the same league —and studying them during the scouting [sessions], I realized they play a way that I like to play basket- ball, too. They also used Vlad [Goldin] and Danny Wolf, their big guys. That sent me a message that the team and Dusty [May] knew how to use big guys. Talking with people, they didn't say anything bad about Coach. "It was a really good opportunity to come here, so I just took it." May definitely proved as advertised, Mara assured. "Our relationship is really good," the junior center noted. "He's pushing me a lot during practices, and I like it. He's a really good coach. I like the way he thinks, the way he does everything. Since the first time we talked, we've had a good relation- ship. It's hard not to have a good relation- ship with him. He's a really good person." FITTING IN VERY WELL May also experienced some really good big men thus far in Ann Arbor. Goldin came with him from Florida Atlantic, and getting Wolf out of the Ivy League gave the Wolverines a pair of 7-footers in his first season at Michigan. They were gone after a year, and some wondered how they'd be replaced. May waved in Mara, grad transfer Yaxel Lend- eborg and junior Morez Johnson Jr., a trio Lendeborg declared earlier this season to be the "best frontcourt in college bas- ketball." Certainly, none of them have disap- pointed. Mara is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while leading the Big Ten in blocks (63). He's been a dif- ference maker as a rim protector, while showing off ever-increasing offensive skills. May quickly points out something more about his latest high-profile 7-footer. "He has an impact in a number of ways," May stressed. "First and foremost, he's an incredible teammate who deeply cares about people and wants to be a part of something special, and in a community that embraces who he is. Our guys really complement him, and he really comple- ments our guys well. "His passing, his rim protection … if he's around the basket, he has to be ac- counted for. All of those things just allow us to play better, outside of his production and rebounding. He's a really, really good player who continues to grow." Mora, who was 7-foot-3 at 15 years old, was raised by athletic parents — his father played professional basketball in Spain and his mother was on the country's volleyball national team. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL