Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Ben Mbala will miss a few games for the De La Salle University Green Archers, as he is set to represent Cameroon in the upcoming 2017 FIBA Afrobasket. The tournament is co-hosted by Senegal and Tunisia, and will run from September 8-16, 2017.
The 23-year-old big man is currently in Brazil for the team’s training camp.
Last February, Mbala, together with San Beda’s Arnaud Noah and National University alumnus Alfred Aroga, was named to the 30-man pool of the 52-ranked national team in the world.
The 6-foot-8 big man will only miss a maximum of two games for the Green Archers (against the Far Eastern University on September 10 and against the National University on September 16).
Mbala averaged 20.6 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks during his maiden campaign at Taft Avenue.
Cameroon is situated in Group C of the tournament, blocked with host Tunisia, Guinea, and Rwanda. Cameroon finished ninth during the 2015 edition of the continental tourney.
