Men’s Basketball: Teammates relished Mbamalu’s return

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, January 2, 2013

He had missed four straight games with a torn ligament in the thumb on his left, non-shooting hand.

But when it was made known that UL swingman Bryant Mbamalu was still in the training room after Thursday night’s 105-74 win over North Texas, Ragin’ Cajuns Bob Marlin deadpanned that Mbamalu must have been there to ice his right thumb.

"For taking 15 shots in 28 minutes," Marlin joked.

Mbamalu did cast up quite a few Thursday, but he wound up with 18 points on a night the meaning to UL of his presence on the floor was clearly defined.

During the four games that the junior from Houston was out, the Cajuns — 8-15 overall, and 4-8 in Sun Belt Conference heading into tonight’s visit to Troy — went 1-3.

But the UL offense clicked when he returned against North Texas, in large part because of how his presence — and the outside shooting of both senior Alan-Michael Thompson and true freshman Steven Wronkoski — created wider lanes for point guard Elfrid Payton and extra space for big man Shawn Long.

"It helps, for sure," Marlin said.

Usual starter Mbamalu came off the bench Thursday while Thompson, who had 22 points vs. Florida International last week, opened at shooting guard.

Mbamalu told a team spokesman afterward that his left thumb was "a little sore," but — except for one play when the pain obviously stung — that was hardly noticeable against the Mean Green.

Mbamalu, even though he was just 2-of-8 on trey tries, was able to mix things up in his return, both shooting from the outside and going to the basket to finish 6-of-15.

Wronkoski, meanwhile, took only two shots, but he hit both 3-pointers early on. And Thompson went 3-of-5 from the field, all from behind the long-distance line.

"When Mike (Thompson) is making shots, and Bryant (Mbamalu), and Steven (Wronkoski) also … it really helps Elfrid," Marlin said.

With North Texas perimeter defenders stretched and frequently staying attached to whomever they were guarding, Payton was often able to blow by his own man often and drive the lane for several of his team-high 24 points.

When he wasn’t finishing himself, the sophomore point was dishing, finishing with nine assists and coming up just one shy for what would have been his points-assists double-double of the season.

"Bryant’s a good scorer," said Payton, who does have two point-rebound double-doubles in 2012-13. "He can definitely stretch the floor. And that just opens up so much more.

"It opens up lanes for me, and if they help I can kick it. And when they get to worrying about him shooting 3s, he can pump-fake and go around and have a pull-up, or drop it down to Shawn (Long)."

Long, who works both down low and at times up top, added another 23 points for UL.

The 18 from Mbamalu — who averages 14.2 points per game, third-most among all Cajun scorers — means he had 17 or more in each of the last five, and seven of the last eight, games in which he’s played.

Yet it isn’t what Mbamalu’s return to the UL lineup means for the Cajun offense that most impresses Long.

"It also adds some older experience to the game — a veteran leader," the redshirt freshman from Morgan City said.

"He’s one of the oldest ones on the team," Long added with reference to a club that has just one senior, Thompson. "We’re all young. So he (Mbamalu) is a leader. That also helps us on the floor. He’s a good floor general."

Sore thumb or not.

LAGNIAPPE: Long (16.3 points per game) and Payton (15.4 ppg) rank No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in Sun Belt scoring behind Florida Atlantic guard Greg Gannt (21.5) and South Alabama forward Augustine Rubit (19.1). Mbalamu is 10th, 0.4 points better than NBA prospect Tony Mitchell of North Texas, who 13.8 but was limited to seven Thursday. … Cajun reserve guard Donovan Williams was available Thursday for the first since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, but he did not play. Williams appeared in just two games this season prior to the surgery. … UL was 78.3 percent from the free-throw line against North Texas — snapping a streak of seven straight outings below 70 percent.