AS Ben Mbala moves to Mexico after a stellar collegiate career in the Philippines, Spin.ph looks back at some of his biggest moments with Cesafi’s Southwestern University and La Salle in the UAAP.
41-point game for SWU Cobras in PCCL
Already making waves in Cebu, Mbala gave the Manila crowd a glimpse of what he can do, exploding for 41 points against University of Sto. Tomas on November 25, 2012.
Mbala transferred to the Green Archers after the tournament.
Mbala wins MVP, championship for La Salle
His UAAP debut with La Salle was delayed when he was barred from playing in 2015 for playing in an unsanctioned commercial tournament.
When he was finally eligible to play, the Cameroonian he averaged 20.6 points, 16 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks on his way to winning the Season 79 MVP while leading the Green Archers to their first title in three years.
Alley-oop dunk against Ateneo in Season 79
His two-year reign in the UAAP had many highlights but perhaps the most memorable one came in a first-round match against La Salle’s archrival Ateneo at the Mall of Asia Arena on October 2, 2016. On a fastbreak play Thomas Torres lobbed a pass to Mbala, who caught the ball with one hand and slammed it home to the delight of thousands of La Salle fans.
Mbala explodes for 39 points against UE
On October 4, 2017, Mbala hit a personal milestone when he hit a UAAP career-high 39 points.
What made his feat more impressive was that it was the third time in Season 80 that he registered a new career-high.
Also: Fiba Afrobasket stint with Cameroon
Mbala was so good that his play was also noticed by his the basketball federation of Cameroon.
He was picked to play for his country’s national team during the Fiba Afrobasket this summer, averaging 21.8 points and 9.3 rebounds as Cameroon reached the quarterfinals.
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