La Salle’s Ben Mbala. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Ben Mbala, the unstoppable force behind La Salle’s dominant run, is the hands down MVP of the UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball tournament.
The Cameroonian big man ran away with the award, amassing 92.43 statistical points (SPs).
Mbala led the Green Archers to their first Finals trip since their 2013 conquest, and is just a win away from bringing the hardware back to Taft.
The 6-foot-7 Mbala had a monster performance in the Finals opener last Saturday, unleashing 20 points, 15 rebounds and two steals in La Salle’s 67-65 win over Ateneo.
Joining Mbala in the Mythical Team are fellow Green Archer Jeron Teng, who garnered 57.33 SPs, Far Eastern University’s Raymar Jose (53.64 SPs), University of the Philippines’ Paul Desiderio (55.14 SPs) and Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena (49.14 SPs)
Meanwhile, La Salle guard Aljun Melecio is the Rookie of the Year after netting 36.57 SPs.
The season’s top performers will be feted on Wednesday before Game 2 of the Finals at Smart Araneta Coliseum.