Men’s basketball senior forward Josh Mballa announced in an Instagram post Wednesday that he is declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. Mballa will remain eligible to return to UB next season if he withdraws his name prior to the July 19 deadline.
“For years my dream has been to play in the NBA, and it is time for me to turn those dreams into reality,” Mballa wrote in the post. “With that being said, I will be declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft, while retaining my collegiate eligibility.”
Mballa’s decision comes on the heels of the best season of his collegiate career.
The Bordeaux, France native led the Mid-American Conference in rebounding at 10.8 boards per game and was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
Mballa was a dominant interior presence on both ends of the floor, averaging 15.3 points per game for UB last season.
The 6-foot-7, 220 lb. big man transferred to UB as a sophomore in 2019 after a season at Texas Tech, where he saw action in 17 games and played for a team that defeated UB in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and advanced all the way to the NCAA National Championship Game under head coach Chris Beard.
The second-team All-MAC selection will have until July 19 to withdraw from the NBA Draft if he wishes to return to UB for his senior season.
Anthony DeCicco is the Senior Sports Editor and can be reached at anthony.decicco@ubspectrum.com and @DeCicco42 on Twitter
Anthony DeCicco is the Editor-in-Chief of The Spectrum. His words have appeared in outlets such as SLAM Magazine andSyracuse.com. In 2020, he was awarded First Prize for Sports Column Writing at the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards. In his free time, he can be found watching ‘90s Knicks games and reading NFL Mock Drafts at 3 a.m.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
