Michigan’s frontcourt has been a problem all season. From hauling in boards to catching lobs to even making a highlight pass or two, the Wolverines’ duo of sophomore forward Morez Johnsohn Jr. and junior center Aday Mara have been the No. 7 Michigan men’s basketball team’s steady pillars.
And in the Wolverines’ dominant win over San Diego State, where nearly every piston was firing at full capacity, Johnson and Mara left little to be desired.
Coming into the 2025 season, Michigan struggled in two stat categories — turnovers and rebounds. And while the turnovers continue to be a problem for the Wolverines, the same cannot be said for the rebounds.
With Michigan grabbing nearly 50 rebounds as a team, Mara and Johnson hauled in their part, eight and six rebounds, respectively. While the defensive boards were not negligible, the offensive boards that the duo brought in were the game sealers. With a team that prides themselves on second-chance points — especially on missed 3-pointers — Mara and Johnson’s tenacity down low helped curb Michigan’s middling 3-point percentage en route to the team’s 22 second-chance points.
That tenacity wasn’t just shown when grabbing rebounds. Constantly double-teamed in the paint, Mara showcased the full range of his abilities. Footwork, foul-drawing, passing and simple shot-making, Mara did it all against a team that sought to limit the height advantage he brings. Evidenced even in how he did the little things right, like sealing off his defenders to drag in the defense in order to open up both himself and his team, Mara’s gravity was a constant benefit for the Wolverines.
“I thought a few of the guys that didn’t play nearly as well in the first half as they’re capable of really, really picked up their game in the second half of that and made a lot of contributions,” Michigan coach Dusty May said.
One of those players was Johnson, headlining the Wolverines’ offense to kickoff the second half. A typical rim-breaker, Johnson equally showed off his footwork, earning his first bucket of the half with a little hookshot before following it up with a second-chance layup after his own miss. Still true to his form, though, Johnson hit the cup hard and was rewarded with trips to the line three times for five shots — all of which he sunk.
Defensively, Mara demonstrated the fact that you simply can’t teach height. Causing pandemonium under the hoop, Mara swatted at everything within a 10-foot radius, recording three blocks on the night. The Aztecs mitigated him to some extent, opting for more 3s and jump shots within the arc. But at the end of the day, if Mara can force teams to play outside of the paint, he’s done 90% of his job.
“As the season goes on, we’re still building chemistry, especially with guys like Aday and Morez,” senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “As (May) said, just (Aday and Morez) being able to protect the rim makes my job a lot easier. If I can be able to kind of get the guard going downhill and be able to veer into the bigs, it’s easy for me to be able to get the big guy off the rim, where guys like Morez and Aday are able to alter shots.”
In a game where just about everything went right, Mara and Johnson didn’t take a backseat role. Still the same hardheaded bigs that they were in tighter games, the duo soldiered on and demonstrated that, once again, they are Michigan’s backbone.
