Josh Mballa
Mballa with Buffalo in 2021
Personal information
Born (1999-07-29) 29 July 1999
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityFrench
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolPutnam Science Academy
(Putnam, Connecticut)
College
NBA draft2023: undrafted
PositionSmall forward / power forward
Career highlights and awards
  • MAC Defensive Player of the Year (2021)
  • 2× Second-team All-MAC (2021, 2022)
  • 2× MAC All-Defensive Team (2021, 2022)

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.

Early life and career

Mballa 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

As 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

Mballa 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

Legend
  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

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Texas Tech 1703.4.444.000.357.3.1.1.1.8
2019–20 Buffalo 322025.8.562.000.5909.61.01.31.110.8
2020–21 Buffalo 221929.5.486.250.67910.81.91.5.515.3
Career 713921.6.521.227.6187.71.01.1.79.8

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. 1 2 3 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Postseason Awards Announced" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ↑ "NBA announces early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2022". NBA.com. NBA Communications. April 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ Lenzi, Rachel. "UB forward Josh Mballa to enter transfer portal". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ Lenzi, Rachel. "UB forward Josh Mballa will transfer to Ole Miss". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ Truax, Barkley (May 25, 2022). "Report: Ole Miss transfer Josh Mballa withdraws name from NBA Draft". On3.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  16. ↑ "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.
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