Powerhouse De La Salle University continue to assert their dominance in the UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball tournament, and so does prized foreign student-athlete Ben Mbala.
The 6-foot-7 Mbala came through with another pair of overpowering performances, as the Green Archers completed a seven-game sweep of the first-round for the first time since 2002.
A prized transferee from Southwestern University in Cebu, Mbala continues to prove he’s as good as advertised, averaging monstrous numbers of 23.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks in La Salle’s last two victories against the University of the East and archrivals Ateneo de Manila University.
His desire to make up for lost time, after violating the league’s residency rule that had kept him in the freezer for another year, has been the biggest motivation of the Cameroonian big man so far.
“I just want to make the most out of it. I wanna make sure, they remember the guy who was out for three years,” said Mbala, who emerged as the hands-down choice for the ACCEL Quantum/3XVI-UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week honors, his second this season.
In their hard-earned 84-78 win over the Red Warriors last Wednesday, Mbala was in his usual form, collecting 19 points and 17 rebounds on top of three blocks, as many assists, and a steal in 31 minutes of play.
Four days later, Mbala played with added fire in the absence of suspended coach Aldin Ayo and injured star Jeron Teng in the Green Archers’ 97-81 win over the Blue Eagles, highlighting his 28-point, 13-rebound, five-steal-performance with several rim-rattling dunks.
“Without coach and Jeron there, it’s a test for us to show what we can do. I’m really proud of how the guys played as we stuck together,” he said.
Mbala edged out the following players for this week’s crown:
