With less than a month to go before the opening of UAAP Season 79, the preparations of the DLSU Green Archers have gone up another notch. Despite the team’s intense practices and competitive tuneup games, Cameroonian Ben Mbala took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with The LaSallian. In this first installment, Mbala shares his thoughts on the team’s preseason so far and the work he and his teammates put in during training, singling out Jeron Teng and Abu Tratter as one of the more intense players in practice.
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On being labeled as the favorites for Season 79
The pressure is not coming off [even if] people [are] thinking that we’re strong and stuff like that. The pressure is coming from having to redeem last year’s result. I think La Salle has been losing quite badly for the last two years, and we need to bring it [the title] back to Taft.
And for that we have to really do more, [more] than just play the way we played in FilOil. We have to probably double or triple it [our effort]. I’m expecting it to be hard, but I think we’ll find a way to handle the pressure. We’ll get the championship and bring it back to Taft.
Every team in the UAAP has talent. The difference is you wanna outwork them. We wanna put everything in our defense and effort. We wanna be relentless on defense and we always wanna push ourselves hard and play harder than our opponent.
If you play in the UAAP, for sure you have something. You’re special. You can do things that not all players can do. If you outwork the guy who is talented, for sure things will be different.
The most intense teammates in practice
For me, I will say Jeron and Abu [are the most intense in practice]. Seeing the way they practice, the way they workout, I really look up to them. Physically, they’re pushing me hard. I’m not gonna lie , sometimes when I go to the gym I see Jeron lifting. It’s just like a click in my mind. ‘Oh see he’s just a small man, he’s probably lifting heavier than you. You better get back to the gym. Probably work twice as hard as him.’
Sometimes when I’m in practice, Abu is faster than me. So when we play, I play against him and he runs more than me. It’s just gonna be a click in my mind saying, ‘Oh you see Abu’s in shape. He’s running up and down. He can play for hours so you better start running.’
It’s all about competition. For you to be able to make your teammates better, you need to compete with them. Put them [and yourself] in a situation where you have to find a way where you have to push each other and improve.
On working with fellow big man Abu Tratter in the post
Well, we’re like brothers . We’ve been playing together since Team B. I know he had to play two years without me, but I think the connection was already there since Team B. Also with the help of Coach Glenn Capacio, I think we were able to just bring it back and you know make it come back to life again.
With Abu, I could see he had a hard time the past few years, because he wasn’t given a lot of playing time. Coach Aldin [Ayo] really knows how to use him, and I think he’s just finding a way to fit well.
Especially with me, he could crash the boards. He can do it. He can handle the physicality, he could run up and down. He could block shots. If you have a four and five who can do that, man if he gets beaten I got his back. If I’m in trouble he got my back. We’re just complementing each other. We’re just trying to help each other, and helping the team as much as we can.
