After three years in residency limbo, Ben Mbala finally made his UAAP debut.
Pegged as heavy-favorites going into the season, the De La Salle University Green Archers are on a mission to prove that they are not just the best team on paper, but that they have the capacity to bring the crown back to Taft. And as they kicked off their Season 79 campaign, they got off to a good start with some major help from prized Cameroonian recruit, Ben Mbala.
The Green Archers were pitted against the defending UAAP championship Far Eastern University Tamaraws in their season-opener, and while there was a late-game scare from the latter, the Taft crew stood as winners in the much-anticipated joust.
Mbala had played for La Salle in some tournaments prior to Season 79, like the PCCL in 2015, and a record-breaking summer during the Premier Cup. However, for the Cameroonian and the rest of three Green Archers, the main goal is to win the all-important UAAP crown.
With all eyes on the starting center, Mbala powered his way to a decent debut statline of 13 points, 23 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and four rejections in a number-filled afternoon against the physical FEU defense.
His patience prior to donning the La Salle jersey was matched in the way he played the game, but he seeks to improve on a daily basis.
“I’ve learned now that I won’t have an easy time to play.”
“It’s up to me whenever I have the ball on the post to go for a quick move, or maybe read and kick out,” said the 22-year-old big man.
As he manned the paint, he got clobbered, and not just when he would get the ball; he also absorbed FEU’s defense to deny him touches. This will be a familiar scene which Mbala expects to get the rest of the way.
“I can’t spend too much time thinking whenever I get doubled or even triple-teamed,” the 6’7 center added.
Prior to this season, he always stressed that he was excited to play for the school. Despite the bruising he received after the game, the collegiate scene got a taste of what Big Ben has in store.
“It’s all about playing smart and making good reads,” he said. “It would be easier for me to operate inside when I understand what they give me (on defense) and make my own shot.”
Overall, he believes they played well in the win but felt they could’ve done better. “We started a little bit slow but we were able to played well in the third quarter, even though we slipped a bit in the fourth.” Lastly, the main concern after the first game is the number of miscues the Archers had.
“We have to take care of our turnovers since we had 27,” said Mbala, who accounted six of the total.
The Green Archers look to continue their good start to their campaign on Saturday, as they clash with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (0-1) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
