Assessing Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and Hannes Steinbach in the Michigan-Washington Game

January 15th, 2026

By Alan Lu

Yesterday, I took the time to watch a very good Michigan team face off against Washington in a midseason college basketball game.  It was very competitive for most of the way, but Michigan was able to go on a run to close it out and win the game.  The standout performers were Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., and other players such as Roddy Gayle Jr., JJ Mandaquit, and Jacob Ognacevic also played well.  Hannes Steinbach was able to collect a double-double in his team’s loss to Michigan.  Here are my thoughts on how they and some of the other top performers fared in this game.

Aday Mara had a tremendous showing to lead Michigan to a win over Washington.  He is a very tall, skilled center that did a great job of making plays, especially on offense.  He was great at making shots out of the post, and he was a wizard with his passes throughout the game.

Mara did a very good job of scoring out of the post.  He showed good footwork, scoring touch, and athleticism to consistently.  He even used a quick spin move to throw down a thunderous jam.  He also excelled as the roll man, and he was able to catch a lob to score on a high-flying, alley-oop dunk.

He also did a great job as a playmaker in this game.  Mara is a fantastic passer, as he was terrific at passing out of the post.  He would use deft footwork to get around his man to make passes, and he would often find cutters to set up numerous scoring chances for them.  He even threw a fancy, no-look, behind-the-back pass to notch an assist once.  He excels at passing out of double teams, can catch tough long passes, and would set screens to help his teammates get open jump shots and driving lanes.

He also played very good defense.  Mara did a great job of using his size, length, and timing to block a bunch of shots inside to help his team protect the paint.  While he didn’t grab as many rebounds, his teammates were able to do that, and Mara was terrific in all of the other aspects of the game.

In general, Aday Mara played really well in his team’s win over Washington.  He was outstanding in this game, and he is a very skilled, athletic center that could be a very good value pick for an NBA team in the first round of the 2026 draft.

Morez Johnson Jr. also had a strong showing in his team’s win over Washington.  He is a very athletic, energetic big man that did a great job of making plays on both ends of the floor.

Johnson did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball.  He also defended really well, as he would get out in passing lanes and get his hands on balls to get steals and force passing turnovers, and he is a very quick and agile perimeter defender.  He also would rotate to block shots off of drives due to possessing good athleticism, energy, and timing.

He also was quite active at scoring on hustle plays, as he can score on tip shots and on the break, and he also can dribble in to score on occasion.  Sometimes though, he would struggle to finish shots around the basket, especially on low post plays.  He also would sometimes struggle to protect the basketball, and he had a ball ripped away from him that led to a turnover.

Overall, Morez Johnson Jr. played well in his team’s win over Washington, and he had 16 points and 16 rebounds in this game.  He’ll need to continue to improve his outside shot, but he is an excellent rebounder and a gifted defender, and his athleticism, versatility, and skill set could enable him to be a first round pick in 2026, and he could end up being a solid role player in the NBA.

Hannes Steinbach had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Michigan.  He is a terrific rebounder, especially on offense, and he would tend to score on tough put backs and tip-ins in traffic.  He also showed the ability to score off the dribble, as he was able to drive in from the baseline to throw down a powerful dunk.  However, he struggled to make shots consistently, especially from the post or on three-point shots, and sometimes he would get his shots blocked when matched up against taller, longer players.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  He was able to use a spin move from the post to kick it out to an open shooter, and Steinbach is a skilled big man who passes the ball well.  On the other hand, there was one play where he lost the ball on a drive that led to a turnover.

He was active defensively, and Steinbach did his best work when defending in the post, as he can wall off the paint to force misses and poke balls away to get steals.  However, he struggled to defend opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to be foul prone and sometimes allow scores.

Overall, Hannes Steinbach didn’t have his best game, but he showed a lot of promise, especially on the offensive end in his team’s unfortunate loss to Michigan.  He is a very skilled, agile big man that has a variety of skills.  He is also a terrific rebounder that has very good offensive potential, and he projects to be a likely first round pick in the 2026 draft.

Roddy Gayle Jr. also quietly played well in his team’s win over Washington.  He is a very skilled passing point forward that did a great job of making a variety of smart passes, both off the dribble and on the move due to possessing gifted court vision.  He also would score on tough, smooth drives to the basket.  Sometimes, he would struggle to rotate or make plays defensively, but generally, Gayle is an athletic, skilled player that especially thrived as a facilitator, and he could end up being an effective role player in the NBA.

Franck Kepnang also played well in his team’s unfortunate loss to Michigan.  He did a good job of scoring out of the post, as he showed a smooth, solid touch to make shots from around the basket.  He also did a great job of rotating to block shots to help his team protect the paint, and he is a rangy defender that excels as his team’s primary interior defender.  On the downside, he would sometimes he commit touch fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Kepnang is a very athletic, energetic center that showed promise as a low post scorer, and he especially excelled as an interior defender and shot blocker, and he could end up being a solid, rotational big man in the NBA.

For Yaxel Lendeborg, it was a tale of two halves.  He was terrible in the first half, and good in the second half.  Overall, his performance was uneven, but okay.  He is an athletic, skilled big man that was streaky with his jump shot. 

He couldn’t seem to find the basket early on.  But he was able to get into a rhythm, as he was able to knock down a pair of threes, would run the floor to score quickly on the break, and he also managed to score on a put back.  He still didn’t make nearly as many shots off the dribble or catch as he should have, but he made enough shots to be a scoring threat on the floor.

As a playmaker, he was about average.  He was quite turnover prone, as he would sometimes commit careless turnovers, sometimes when handling the basketball.  On the other hand, he would tend to make good passes out of the post and off the dribble.

He also rebounded the ball really well.  He was active defensively, but he also tended to commit loose ball fouls, which led him to be foul prone.  Overall, Lendeborg didn’t have his best game, but his blend of athleticism, skill set, and versatility makes him an intriguing option for NBA teams to consider in the mid to late first round range of the 2026 draft.

Jacob Ognacevic also played well off the bench in his team’s loss to Michigan.  He did a great job of making shots, as he especially excelled at making corner threes, and he also scored on a put back.  He is an unselfish player that will make the extra pass, but he also can sometimes struggle to handle the ball when pressured.

He also was active on the boards, and he was able to get his hands on a pass to get a steal.  Overall, he is an agile, skilled forward that could excel as a 3 and D role player at the NBA level.

JJ Mandaquit had a strong game off the bench for Washington in their loss to Michigan.  He is a skilled, crafty playmaker that did a great job of making threes, and a variety of shots on the floor.  He tended to make smart passes, and he played tough, pesky defense.  He is a smart, skilled point guard, and he could project to be a solid, game-managing table-setter at the NBA level.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and other various prospects fared in this game.  Thanks for reading.