Mballa Named Defensive Player Of The Year; Bulls Place Three On Second Team
3/10/2021 10:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – For the second straight year and the fourth time in the last five seasons the University at Buffalo men's basketball team has claimed MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors as junior Josh Mballa was announced as the 2021 recipient. Overall, the Bulls placed three members on the All-Mid-American Conference Second Team, the league office announced Wednesday morning.
Mballa was joined by senior Jayvon Graves and junior Jeenathan Williams on the All-MAC Second Team. Mballa led the Mid-American Conference in rebounding at just under 10 boards per game and is second on the team in scoring at 15.1 points per contest. Five times this season he has surpassed the 20-point scoring mark, including a career high 27 points at Syracuse.
Mballa has six double-doubles on the year, including a career high 19 rebounds in a win over Ball State, the most by a Buffalo player since 2014. He is also second on the team in free throw percentage at .725. Mballa was also named to the league's All-Defensive Team.
Graves won the final MAC Player of the Week award as he has played his best basketball over the final stretch of the regular season. The Malvern, OH native moved into 10th place on UB's all-time scoring list on Friday against Kent State. He is currently third on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and second in assists at just over four per contest.
Graves became just the third player in school history to record a triple double when he did it against Akron on Mar. 2. It was the first triple double by a UB player since 2018.
Williams has been arguably UB's most consistent player this year, leading the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game and second in rebounding at 7.0 per contest. He has scored in double figures in all, but two games this year, scoring 20 or more points six times, including a career-high 28 in the opener against Towson.
Williams has had four double doubles on the year including 25 points and 14 rebounds at Western Michigan. This is the first time in his career that he has been recognized in the postseason by the league.
The Bulls will begin action at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday as the second-seeded Bulls face #7 Miami. This will be the third game of the session and will begin at approximately 4:00 pm.
Mballa was joined by senior Jayvon Graves and junior Jeenathan Williams on the All-MAC Second Team. Mballa led the Mid-American Conference in rebounding at just under 10 boards per game and is second on the team in scoring at 15.1 points per contest. Five times this season he has surpassed the 20-point scoring mark, including a career high 27 points at Syracuse.
Mballa has six double-doubles on the year, including a career high 19 rebounds in a win over Ball State, the most by a Buffalo player since 2014. He is also second on the team in free throw percentage at .725. Mballa was also named to the league's All-Defensive Team.
Graves won the final MAC Player of the Week award as he has played his best basketball over the final stretch of the regular season. The Malvern, OH native moved into 10th place on UB's all-time scoring list on Friday against Kent State. He is currently third on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and second in assists at just over four per contest.
Graves became just the third player in school history to record a triple double when he did it against Akron on Mar. 2. It was the first triple double by a UB player since 2018.
Williams has been arguably UB's most consistent player this year, leading the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game and second in rebounding at 7.0 per contest. He has scored in double figures in all, but two games this year, scoring 20 or more points six times, including a career-high 28 in the opener against Towson.
Williams has had four double doubles on the year including 25 points and 14 rebounds at Western Michigan. This is the first time in his career that he has been recognized in the postseason by the league.
The Bulls will begin action at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday as the second-seeded Bulls face #7 Miami. This will be the third game of the session and will begin at approximately 4:00 pm.
Players Mentioned
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