“I was crying before the game and after the game I was crying.”
Tears are often seen as a sign of weakness; a by-product of impatience, a result of giving up.
Two years ago, Ben Mbala, who had been completing his second and final year of residency, was declared ineligible for the 78th season of the UAAP. His ineligibility stemmed from playing in a league not sanctioned by the De La Salle University. His immaturity and impatience had gotten the best of him, and it resulted in a tough campaign for the Green Archers and maybe even cost Juno Sauler his job.
Then guilt set in, and countless nights must have been spent with him weeping, thinking about what he should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve done.
“Just listening to people around me who kept on giving me some advice, telling me to be patient,” Mbala reflected.
“I almost got into a point that I almost gave up. But they are there to motivate me and tell me to be patient.”
Three years on the sidelines will drive even the strongest of individuals crazy. Moreover, his family is a thousand miles away. He was alone on foreign soil.
Once he was able to suit up for the Green Archers last summer, he vented all of his frustrations on the opposition, breaking records in the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup.
The 22-year-old posted norms of 22.6 points per game (breaking RR Garcia’s six-year Premier Cup record with 226 total points), 16.2 rebounds, and nearly three blocks per game. Moreover, Mbala swatted away eight blocks — a Premier Cup record — in La Salle’s cup-clinching win over Arellano.
“It was memorable. My first year playing, having a new coach,” the Cameroonian big man said. “I’m coming out two years without playing and that was really odd.”
Then came the real test: the UAAP.
La Salle’s wait was all worth it. He was the real deal, posting unreal norms of 20.5 points on a 53.3 percent clip, 15.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks. He demolished the MVP race winning by a huge margin over runner-up Papi Sarr.
Mbala made it look easy but, in reality, it was far from a walk in the park. Game in and game out, his patience was further tested, his body bruised. Some calls went his way but, in his eyes, majority were missed.
“I’ve been though the worst fouls the entire season. Keeping my composure from every bad calls is something that makes you improve. Not on your game, but mentally.
“In the game of basketball, you have to be mentally tougher,” he said.
It only made him much, much tougher.
Once the final buzzer sounded last Wednesday, Mbala stood in one corner of the SMART-Araneta Coliseum as memories started to flash into his head.
From a struggling cager in Cameroon, to an enigma in Cebu, to an asset waiting in limbo, and now a champion. And he cried. But his tears this time were not of regret nor guilt; for the first time in a long time, his tears were of pure joy.
Finally, it was all over.
“This is hard because people are expecting us to be good,” the UAAP Season 79 MVP shared. “All of the teams want to beat us because they feel we’re the team to beat. And that’s the most challenging thing: Always step up, improve our game, and always find adjustments.”
“It was a memorable finals [especially] after what I’ve been through.”
Mbala needed to go through hell to get to heaven. And boy was it sweet.
