Emotional Mbala thankful after long wait for championship

MANILA, Philippines – After the final buzzer sounded around the Smart-Araneta Coliseum and the DLSU Green Archers were officially the UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball champions, league MVP Ben Mbala turned emotional with tears falling from his eyes.

Mbala, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the championship-clinching victory against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, seemed overwhelmed by the moment which was 3 years in the making.

“Trust me, yeah,” Mbala responded when asked if the title victory was sweet. “If you guys saw me before the game, I was crying and after the game, I was crying. It was full of emotion, being out for 3 years, being on the side, watching and finally getting to play.”

Mbala had to sit out two years of residency after transferring from Southwestern University in Cebu to La Salle. He then had to watch from the sidelines another year after playing in an outside league – something against UAAP rules for players doing residency.

“Ending your first year with a championship, this is sweet,” said Mbala, who was grateful to DLSU head coach Aldin Ayo. “I want to say thank you to this guy – I call him Mr Bicep – so I want to say thank you to him, [my] manager, also the PT, ball boys, my teammates, Lasallian community. Everyone who had our back.”

Mbala was consistently good throughout the UAAP season with averages of 20.6 points, 16 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks a contest to garner 92.43 statistical points. In his first year as a Green Archer, Mbala helped La Salle go 10-0 in the Filoil preseason tournament and 16-1 overall in the UAAP.

“Trust me, it wasn’t easy,” said the league MVP, who will be back next year as La Salle defends its title. “There were times when we were down and people had our backs, so I want to say thank you to them.” – Rappler.com