Ben Mbala has a new mission: to return and play in the Philippines.
And the best route the 24-year-old La Salle product can take is by leading Cameroon to the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which is tri-hosted by Japan, Indonesia — and yes, the Philippines.
“I would probably not stay in my hotel while my team is there. I’ll probably going to be outside every day visiting my friends and you know… Because when I’m in the Philippines, I know so many people I feel like I’m home,” said Mbala during last Friday’s episode of The Prospects Pod, presented by SMART.
“It’s like when you’ve been there for so long, most of you’re friends are there you’re like… Sometimes when I go home, my childhood friends are like all grown up. They live in different cities, different countries, so when I’m home, I spend all the time with my family because my friends are not there,” he continued.
“But in the Philippines, I always got somewhere to stay. There’s people calling me to hang out. The Philippines is like my second home, honestly.”
Mbala and Cameroon’s road to Manila still has a long way to go, though.
Currently, Afrobasket is still in the first window of the qualifiers. Cameroon is 2-1 in Group C, which will see three teams advance to the tournament proper.
Cameroon needs to finish in the top three of the 2021 FIBA World Cup, or be selected as one of the four wild cards, to advance to the Big Dance.
Another way Mbala could return to the Philippines is by playing as an import for a PBA club team. But for now, the 6-foot-5 forward knows that he still has a long way to go, skills-wise.
“For me… It’s like I told everyone that for me, playing in the Philippines is still a path for me. It’s just that at this level in my career, I’m probably hoping for like gaining more experience, working on my game.”
The Prospects Pod host Kiefer Ravena will make sure that if that happens, it will be for his team.
“If you’re going to play in the PBA, I’ll make sure it’s with me.”
