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UAAP: Ben Mbala and Kiefer Ravena as teammates? It almost happened

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines -- Ben Mbala etched his name in the history of Philippine basketball thanks to a pair of historically dominant seasons with De La Salle University, one of which resulted in a UAAP championship.But according to the Cameroonian big man, he very nearly wound up playing for Ateneo de Manila University instead.&quot;I told you, Ateneo was my first choice,&quot; Mbala said on &quot;The Prospects&quot; podcast presented by SMART. &quot;I am going to be honest.&quot;Mbala first caught the eye of UAAP schools during the 2012 Philippine Collegiate Champions League, when he was still playing for Southwestern University. He eventually decided to transfer to La Salle, and had to sit out two years to fulfill the UAAP&#x27;s eligibility requirements at the time.Two years became three when Mbala was penalized for playing in a commercial tournament, a violation of UAAP residency rules. It was only in UAAP Season 79 that he finally got to suit up for the Green Archers, and he immediately took the league by storm with one of the most dominant seasons in recent history.It could have all gone very differently, however, if not for the advice of his coach in Southwestern University. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/nba/news/2020/06/07/nba-offers-clarity-tiebreakers-uneven-schedule-68631">READ: NBA offers clarity on tiebreakers with uneven schedule</a></li></ul>&quot;I was looking for a team where I can have a lot of stability and get playing time,&quot; Mbala recalled. &quot;Going to La Salle, they have (Arnold) Van Opstal, Norbert Torres, Yutien Andrada -- they were intact. (Jason) Perkins and all that.&quot;&quot;I gotta go over there and compete to have playing time, so I was like, I am going to Ateneo,&quot; he said.Former Ateneo superstar Kiefer Ravena, one of the hosts of the podcast, recalled that the Blue Eagles at the time lacked big men with the graduation of Greg Slaughter and Justin Chua, and the injury suffered by Poy Erram. He also recalled that Mbala visited the Blue Eagles&#x27; practice, where the Cameroonian was quick to impress.&quot;I talked to one person in Ateneo,&quot; said Mbala. &quot;I went to this one office across the library, spoke for like five to 10 minutes, and then I went to the gym. They told me to dunk. I wasn&#x27;t stretching (but) I just made a two-handed dunk, and they were like, &#x27;Woah, yeah.&#x27; And then I left.&quot;Had Mbala&#x27;s transfer to Ateneo pushed through, he might have wound up playing for a season with Ravena, who wrapped up his collegiate career in 2015 as a back-to-back MVP.Former SWU coach Yayoy Alcoseba, however, advised Mbala to take a different path.&quot;Coach Yayoy, one day, he called me to go to La Salle. And I was like, &#x27;What do you mean? I want to go to Ateneo.&#x27; (But he said), &#x27;You go to La Salle, it&#x27;s going to be better for you because of the condition. I know people there&#x27;,&quot; Mbala said.Mbala took the advice of his coach -- a decision he has never regretted, even with how topsy-turvy his UAAP career ended up. After sitting out for three years, he only played two seasons for La Salle, leading them to the UAAP Season 79 title and another Finals appearance the next year. He was the league&#x27;s Most Valuable Player in both years he played, before eventually leaving to pursue a professional career.&quot;At the end of the day, I felt like going over there with all those players kind of made me improve,&quot; he explained. &quot;When you go there, admission is tough.&quot;&quot;The year we won UAAP and all that, during practice, we were almost fighting, it was so intense, so physical. And at the end of the year, we were champions. So you realize, you survive as a team and be a champion,&quot; he added. &quot;That&#x27;s when I started learning it&#x27;s not supposed to be easy.&quot;Mbala&#x27;s professional career has taken him to Mexico, South Korea, and now France, where he plays for Limoges CSP. However, he has never forgotten his time in the Philippines, and he hopes to one day return -- and play -- here.And when he does, he and Ravena might make that &quot;almost&quot; team-up happen for real.&quot;Someday, I might play in the PBA against you, I&#x27;m letting you know,&quot; Mbala told Ravena, who now plays for the NLEX Road Warriors.&quot;If you&#x27;re going to play in the PBA, I&#x27;ll make sure it&#x27;s with me,&quot; Ravena said in response.(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>).

Mbala acknowledged that Ateneo was his "first choice," until one coach advised him to play for La Salle, a decision that altered the course of local basketball history.

Mbala acknowledged that Ateneo was his "first choice," until one coach advised him to play for La Salle, a decision that altered the course of local basketball history.

UAAP: Ben Mbala and Kiefer Ravena as teammates? It almost happened

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UAAP: Ben Mbala and Kiefer Ravena as teammates? It almost happened

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 07, 2020 02:32 PM PHT

Read More:

UAAP

De La Salle Green Archers

Ben Mbala

Kiefer Ravena

Ateneo Blue Eagles

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