La Salle’s Ben Mbala reacts during Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
The only thing missing from De La Salle stalwart Ben Mbala’s spectacular debut season is the UAAP title.
The UAAP yesterday confirmed the hulking Cameroonian as the league’s Most Valuable Player for Season 79, reinforcing the hype that came after his high-profile transfer from Southwestern University in Cebu three years ago.
With Mbala leading the charge, the Green Archers moved within a win away from clinching their ninth UAAP crown after subduing the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 67-65, last Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The 6-foot-7 Mbala averaged 20.6 points, 16 rebounds, 2.36 blocks, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals in an elimination-round campaign where the Archers went 13-1.
Despite finishing with 20 points and 16 boards in the finals opener, Mbala feels his game still has plenty of room for improvement.
“I think I should be able to read the defense and make adjustments,” said Mbala. “I should be more aggressive and put the ball on the floor, just attack the rim instead of taking outside shots.”
Mbala will receive the MVP trophy before Game 2 tips off 4 p.m. tomorrow at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Joining Mbala, who collected 92.43 statistical points, in the mythical team, are fellow Green Archer Jeron Teng (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).
Ravena actually finished sixth in the MVP race, but with the league only allowing one foreigner in the Mythical Five, Adamson University’s Cameroonian star Papi Sarr, who was second to Mbala in the MVP race, was bumped off from the list.
League rules also state only one foreigner per team can be on the court at any time during the game.
UP didn’t have a player in the Mythical Five until Desiderio’s inclusion this season, matching the feat of former Fighting Maroon Marvin Cruz in 2006.
It will be Teng’s fourth Mythical Five citation, after 2012, 2014 and 2015.
He was also named the Finals MVP in 2013 when the Archers last claimed the UAAP crown.
La Salle guard Aljun Melecio, who also played a key role with four triples in the Archers’ Game 1 victory, will receive the Rookie of the Year trophy, netting 36.57 SPs.
Jerrick Ahanmisi was actually the league’s top rookie with 44.5 SPs, but he didn’t qualify for the award, having sat out a year after finishing high school in Sun Valley, California.
The 5-foot-6 Melecio, a former NCAA juniors MVP, finished 23rd in the statistical race, after averaging 8.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
He succeeds teammate Andrei Caracut, who collected the award in Season 78.