BEN Mbala has ruled himself out for La Salle's game against National University in UAAP Season 80 on Saturday, following the end of his campaign in the 2017 Fiba AfroBasket with Cameroon.
Mbala said he will try to leave for Manila as soon as possible to rejoin the Green Archers, but sees that it won't be possible for him to play already against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
"Hopefully, I will get a flight for tomorrow," said Mbala in an online message to SPIN.ph. "But I don't think I will be able to play on Saturday."
Mbala's absence, however, should not be a problem for the Green Archers as they won without him during their first game against Far Eastern University, 95-90, on opening weekend.
The 6-foot-7 Mbala was fresh from his campaign in the Fiba Afrobasket where he is a vital cog in Cameroon's road to the quarterfinal spot which ended with a 106-91 defeat at the hands of Nigeria.
The La Salle center turned Cameroon forward is actually second in the tournament in scoring with 21.8 points per outing, just behind Nigeria's Ike Diogu, a former NBA player for the Minnesota Timberwolves and now playing for the Jiangsu Monkey King in China.
Mbala is also second in rebounds with a total of 27 through the quarterfinal round.
With his impressive play and surprising three-point shooting, La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo is now considering Mbala to play the small forward spot.
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