SUMMARY
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“High in the sky! Big Ben Mbala!”
For one fleeting minute, the UAAP world stopped. During an already heated first round matchup featuring the legendary rivalry of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers and the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles, graduating DLSU guard Thomas Torres grabbed the ball away courtesy of another ADMU turnover and ran the other way. Then he threw up the ball. Then Ben Mbala flew.
In one fluid motion, “Big Ben” easily cupped what was otherwise a bad lob and mercilessly threw the ball down, straight to a 21-point hope-killing lead for the Archers. It was a move straight out of an NBA game and could only be described by longtime commentator Mico Halili as “life-changing.”
That one play perhaps summed up what it was like to watch the eventual champion Green Archers in Season 79. Their lightning-quick offense initiated by their league-best defense could have been more suitably called “shock and awe” instead of the usual run and gun. Teams could only stare helplessly as the monstrous Mbala, the runaway pick for Season 79 Most Valuable Player, ran and leapt over and over again.
Not bad, rookie.
Head of the snake
As previously illustrated throughout the first few paragraphs, Ben Mbala is the rest of the league’s biggest problem – an entertaining, 21-point, 16-rebound-averaging problem. Worst of all for them, he’s not going anywhere. The 6-foot-7 Cameroonian phenom is set to play in only his second season for the Archers, and unlike fellow dominant big man Papi Sarr of Adamson, Mbala is still eligible for a third run in Season 81.
However, he is set to miss DLSU’s first two games due to his participation with Cameroon in the ongoing FIBA Afrobasket 2017 in Tunisia that will run until September 17. Not that it matters. Barring a huge team collapse or injuries, DLSU is still set to run away straight to the Final Four.
So according to the official schedule, DLSU will leave two Mbala-less windows of opportunity, one each for Far Eastern University and National University. Then after that, the Archers will be back running on full artillery, which will never be a good thing for teams not named DLSU Green Archers.
Just how good is this guy, really? Well, he crushed the NCAA’s top dog Letran Knights, 93-77, in the FilOil Preseason tournament just this year with a 45-point, 17-rebound performance while down with the flu. This guy is just fooling around recreating Michael Jordan stuff in college. He’s wearing #23 after all.
The other guys
Did we mention this guy has teammates? And pretty good ones too?
Like Ateneo, La Salle is still filled to the brim with reliable talents. Despite the losses of Finals MVP Jeron Teng, Thomas Torres, Jason Perkins and Julian Sargent, the Archers are still fielding a great supporting cast of Aljun Melecio, Kib Montalbo, Abu Tratter, Andrei Caracut, Ricci Rivero, and the list goes on and on. They have supports for their supports.
Most importantly, they are still led by the young Aldin Ayo, who has already won both the NCAA and UAAP championships in a span of two seasons – one in Letran and the other in La Salle. He is a magnet for success, and we perhaps can forgive his unpredictable temper for that. Two years were all he needed to get both the country’s most prestigious collegiate basketball titles. We can safely say he’s gotten the hang of this coaching thing.
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Really, what else can we say? It’s La Salle. The only thing they don’t know in sports is how to stink. – Rappler.com
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