Joshua Kenneth Mballa (born 29 July 1999) is a French basketball player. He played college basketball for the Ole Miss Rebels, the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Buffalo Bulls.
 Mballa with Buffalo in 2021 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 July 1999 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | French |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Putnam Science Academy (Putnam, Connecticut) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Position | Small forward / power forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and career
editMballa was born in Detroit, Michigan but raised in Bordeaux, France.[1][2] He started playing competitive basketball at age eight, learning from Vincent Mbassi, a trainer at Kameet Academy who knew his uncle.[3] He played for Bouscat and then JSA Bordeaux before joining Orléans Loiret.[4] Mballa returned to the United States for high school, attending Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut. Playing alongside Kyle Lofton and Osun Osunniyi, he helped his team win the National Prep Championship.[5] A three-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Texas Tech over offers from Seton Hall and South Florida.[6]
College career
editAs a freshman at Texas Tech, Mballa played sparingly, scoring 13 total points, and his team reached the national championship game.[3] For his sophomore season, he transferred to Buffalo and received a waiver for immediate eligibility.[7] As a sophomore, Mballa averaged 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He grabbed 308 rebounds, the most by a Buffalo player in a single season since Sam Pellom in the 1975–76 season.[8] He missed three games early in his junior season due to plantar fasciitis.[3] On 19 December 2020, Mballa posted a career-high 27 points and seven rebounds in a 107–96 overtime loss to Syracuse.[9] As a junior, he averaged 15.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, receiving Second Team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He declared for the 2021 NBA draft before withdrawing and returning to Buffalo.[10] Mballa was named to the Second Team All-MAC as a senior.[11] Following the season, Mballa declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[12] He also later entered the transfer portal.[13] On May 15, 2022, Mballa announced he was transferring to Ole Miss.[14] He subsequently withdrew from the NBA Draft.[15]
National team career
editMballa represented France at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Spain, where he averaged 4.2 points and four rebounds per game. At the 2017 FIBA U18 European Championship in Slovakia, he averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[16]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Texas Tech | 17 | 0 | 3.4 | .444 | .000 | .357 | .3 | .1 | .1 | .1 | .8 |
| 2019–20 | Buffalo | 32 | 20 | 25.8 | .562 | .000 | .590 | 9.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 10.8 |
| 2020–21 | Buffalo | 22 | 19 | 29.5 | .486 | .250 | .679 | 10.8 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .5 | 15.3 |
| Career | 71 | 39 | 21.6 | .521 | .227 | .618 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | .7 | 9.8 | |
References
edit- ^ Lenzi, Rachel (22 January 2020). "Josh Mballa makes inside moves for UB men's basketball team". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Lenzi, Rachel (February 22, 2022). "Back at full speed, Josh Mballa helps UB's late-season run". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c Crane, Andrew (18 December 2020). "Texas Tech was unsure about Josh Mballa. Now at Buffalo, he's a star". The Daily Orange. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Dupriez, Hugo (15 February 2020). "L'objectif de Josh Mballa : "que j'amène Buffalo à la March Madness"". Midnight on Campus (in French). Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "Texas Tech transfer Josh Mballa commits to UB basketball". The Buffalo News. 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Soliz, Brandon (2 July 2018). "Joshua Mballa added to Texas Tech basketball roster". Rivals. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Lenzi, Rachel (23 October 2019). "Transfer Josh Mballa receives waiver to play for UB men's basketball". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Skoczylas, Hunter (21 November 2020). "Jayvon Graves and Josh Mballa earn spots on preseason All-MAC teams". The Spectrum. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ Gunn, Patrick (20 December 2020). "Mballa's dominance inside gave Buffalo a chance to beat Syracuse". 247Sports. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ Lenzi, Rachel (2 July 2021). "UB forward Josh Mballa withdraws from NBA draft consideration, will return to Bulls". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Postseason Awards Announced" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "NBA announces early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2022". NBA.com. NBA Communications. April 26, 2022.
- ^ Lenzi, Rachel. "UB forward Josh Mballa to enter transfer portal". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ Lenzi, Rachel. "UB forward Josh Mballa will transfer to Ole Miss". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ Truax, Barkley (May 25, 2022). "Report: Ole Miss transfer Josh Mballa withdraws name from NBA Draft". On3.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Joshua Kenneth Mballa (FRA)'s profile - FIBA U18 European Championship Division A 2017". FIBA. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.