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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

With only four years of basketball experience under his belt when he arrived at UCLA, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has not only experienced considerable personal success, but has also played a major role in his team's impressive record. He is the 15th player in school history to register 775 rebounds in a career, leading the team in that category during his first two seasons in a Bruins uniform.

In 2008, Mbah a Moute became the first Bruin since Keith Wilkes, Bill Walton and Greg Lee (1972-74) to start in three-straight Final Four games. He also became the first college player to start in three consecutive Final Fours since Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell of Michigan State in 1999-2001.

Hailing from African republic of Cameroon, it is fitting that the Bruins' forward is a Global Studies major, venturing far from home to come to the United States as a teenager. A few years later, he continued globetrotting by traveling to the opposite coast to play at UCLA. The Bruins also had royalty in their starting lineup the last three years, as Mbah a Moute is a prince in his village Bafia (Bia Messe) back home in Cameroon.

At Montverde (Fla.) Academy, Mbah a Moute earned Street & Smith's All-American honorable mention and was a Top 150 member by Scout.com. He was also rated the 15th-best prospect in the state of Florida by FloridaHoops.com. He was selected to All-Tournament teams in the Iolani Classic and Montverde Academy Invitational.

As a senior, he led the team to a 21-6 record, as Montverde ranked second in the state and first in the Class 6A ranks. He led the team in scoring (18.4 points per game) and rebounding (7.3), as he averaged 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game. He shot 54.0 percent from the field, 51.0 percent (35-68) from 3-point range and 61.0 percent from the foul line.

After his senior campaign, Mbah a Moute played in the Commonwealth Classic All-Star game in Richmond, Virginia, where he was a member of a national team of All-Stars who played a Virginia All-Star squad. He was also a finalist for the Nike Hoops Summit All-Star Game.

As a freshman at UCLA in 2005-06, Mbah a Moute played in all 39 games, starting 38. He averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, as he also blocked 22 shots and handed out 52 assists. He recorded double-digit points 17 times and double-digit rebounds in 12 games. He also tallied eight double-double performances.

In 2006-07, Mbah a Moute missed the Arizona game due to a sprained right knee, which happened in the first half vs. Arizona State. He played in 35 contests, as he ranked second on the team and third in the Pac-10 Conference in steals per game (1.7). He led the team and ranked seventh in the league in rebounds (7.4 per game), leading the Bruins in offensive rebounds with 87, which ranked eighth in the Pac-10. He also averaged 8.2 points per game.

Mbah a Moute was an All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention in 2007-08, adding Academic All-Pac 10 honors. He sprained his left ankle vs. Southern California in the Pac-10 Tournament, missing six games. He ranked second on the squad with 198 rebounds (6.0 per game) and averaged 8.8 points per game. He added 34 steals and dished out 51 assists while blocking 15 shots.

After the NCAA Tournament, Mbah a Moute announced that he would make himself eligible for the NBA draft, but did not hire an agent in order to maintain his NCAA eligibility. "After speaking with my family and with Coach (Ben) Howland, I feel that it is in my best interest to see what the NBA has to offer," Mbah a Moute said. "I'm not hiring an agent, so the opportunity still exists for me to return to UCLA. I have had a wonderful experience at UCLA. I have had a chance to play in three Final Fours and that is very special to me and I'll never forget it."

ANALYSIS

Positives: Active moving up and down the court, showing the athleticism to trail guards on defense and the length to step out and alter shots along the perimeter…Uses long wingspan (86 inches) effectively to alter shots from the weak side and is a nuisance using his lateral agility and arm length to be a human road block…With his foot speed, he is very effective getting back to defend on the fast break, using his reach to disrupt passes into the post…Has enough power to fight for position and score with a resounding jam, utilizing those same moves on the offensive glass when going for the putback…Despite giving up considerable bulk, he had good success boxing out power forwards and centers the last two years…Despite his rebounding ability as a power forward, his quickness and athletic skills should be very beneficial playing on the wing at the next level…Classic blue-collar type with good ball-handling and passing skills, as he will easily push the ball out to an open teammate when challenged by double-team activity…Has very good court vision, doing a nice job of moving without the ball in his hands…Versatile athlete with the ability to defend other shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards…Will not hesitate to go vertical and sacrifice his body chasing down loose balls…Finishes at the basket and on the outside he shows good body lean and shoulder dip to get under the elevated defender to slash to the rim…Very alert to an off-balanced defense, showing the quick diagnosis process to make cuts to get into the open area to feather the ball into the rim…Shows very good positioning and second-jump ability when parked under the glass to get to the rebound…Has developed a nice stroke with good elevation and a quick release on his open-court jumper…Has become comfortable facing the basket from the perimeter, but is also tough to get the hard points attacking the paint.

Negatives: While he has made rapid progress, he has played basketball for only a few years…More comfortable being part of a supporting cast and while he does several things well, he is not a scoring machine that you want to get the ball to in crunch time…Still needs to develop tougher skin -- will get frustrated when his shot doesn't fall or back out of the paint when challenged by a more physical opponent…All-out hustler, but gets most of his scoring on putbacks, second effort or when plays break down (does not have offensive plays designed just for him)…Can box out his man when he gets an elbow into the opponent, but lacks the brute strength to prevent from being boxed out…Liability from the perimeter, as he never developed 3-point range to be consistent (tends to rush his shot when pressured by a face-up defender)…His lack of experience is evident at times, as he does bite some on hesitation moves and pump fakes, committing to leave the ground too early in attempts to alter shots…Lacks the ability to create his own shot, needing teammates to feed him the ball on post-entry passes…Has an improved fade-away jumper, but lacks consistency making it (bit of an elbow hitch) and needs to develop a more consistent post game…Makes good decisions pushing the ball down the court, but has a high dribble that leads to costly turnovers…Trying to take the ball off the dribble, he gets too narrow in his stance, losing balance when trying to penetrate.

Compares To: MARKO JARIC-Minnesota…Like Jaric, Mbah a Moute is perfectly comfortable as part of the supporting cast. He is a hard fighter going for the rebound and adequate shot blocker, but is still a poor perimeter shooter who gets most of his scoring opportunities on putbacks and when taking advantage of defensive breakdowns. He will probably be better served at small forward in the NBA, but will have to greatly improve his range as a shooter if he is to have success on the wing. With his decent amount of assists and steals, along with his impressive length and quickness, he is the type that could produce nicely, coming off the bench to take the opposition's shooters out of their game.

CAREER NOTES

In 107 games at UCLA, Mbah a Moute started all but one contest, logging 3,155 minutes of action…Scored 931 points (8.7 ppg), shooting 50.3 percent from the field (367-of-730), 21.5 percent from three-point range (20-of-93) and 66.8 percent of his free throws (177-of-265)…Registered 775 rebounds (7.2 per game), including 277 from the offensive glass…Averaged 1.6 assists (168), 1.3 steals (137) and 0.6 blocked shots (66) per game…Charged with 192 turnovers…Mbah a Moute is the 15th player in school history in school history to record 775 rebounds in a career…His 318 rebounds in 2005-06 rank 12th on the school season-record list…In 2008, he became the first Bruin since Keith Wilkes, Bill Walton and Greg Lee (1972-74) to start in three-straight Final Four games…Also became the first college player to start in three consecutive Final Fours since Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell of Michigan State in 1999-2001.

2007-08 SEASON

All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention, also earning Academic All-Pac-10 honorable mention…Suffered a sprained left ankle late in the first half of the Pac-10 Tournament semi-final vs. Southern California (3/14), sitting out the next two games vs. Stanford and Mississippi Valley State…Started 33 games at the "four" spot, generating 290 points (8.8 per game), as he made 117-of-245 field goals (47.8 percent ), 5-of-25 3-pointers and 51-of-74 free throws (68.9 percent )…Ranked second on the team with 198 rebounds (6.0 per game), grabbing 73 of them off the offensive glass…Handed out 51 assists (1.5 per game), as he totaled 34 steals (1.0 per game) and blocked 15 shots (0.5 per game)…Scored in double digits in 12 games and produced seven double-double performances.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Handed out four assists while pulling down six boards and scored nine points vs. Cal State-San Bernardino…Hit on 6-of-9 field goals for 14 points, as he grabbed 10 rebounds and added three assists vs. Yale…Followed with seven boards and 14 points vs. Texas and a season-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, as he also totaled eight rebounds and three assists vs. Davidson…Snatched 13 rebounds, blocked two shots and put in 12 points in the Michigan clash…Tallied 17 points vs. Washington and had ten rebounds, ten points and a pair of assists vs. Southern California…Grabbed seven rebounds in back-to-back games vs. Oregon State and Oregon, scoring 8 points vs. OSU and 9 more vs. the Ducks…Produced 11 rebounds and 10 points vs. Stanford, followed by ten boards and 12 points to go with three assists vs. California…Returned to action from his left ankle sprain to total 13 points and snare 13 rebounds, as he posted three assists with three steals and one blocked shot vs. Xavier in the NCAA Tournament…In the Final Four 78-63 loss to Memphis Mbah a Moute had 12 points, 13 rebounds and one blocked shot.

2006-07 SEASON

Started all 35 games in which he appeared, missing the Arizona contest (1/20) due to a sprained right knee, which happened in the first half of the Arizona State clash (1/18) ... Scored 287 points (8.2 per game) on 116-of-236 field goals (49.25), 10-of-30 3-pointers (33.3 percent ) and 45-of-79 free throws (57.0 percent )…Led the team and ranked seventh in the Pac-10 Conference in rebounds (7.4 per game), as he also led the Bruins in offensive rebounds with 87, which ranked eighth in the league…Finished sixth in the Pac-10 in defensive rebounds (4.9 per game)…Handed out a career-high 65 assists (1.9 per game), and was second on the team and third in the Pac-10 in steals per game (1.7 per game) ... Blocked 29 shots and was charged with 65 turnovers.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Had the 12th double-double of his career with 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. Southern California ... Scored 15 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Oregon ... Added 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a win over UC-Riverside ... Posted a career-high 24 points and 11 rebounds vs. Brigham Young and had 18 points and five rebounds in a win over Kentucky…Tallied 14 points and seven boards in a win over Georgia Tech ... Scored four points and had a career-low two rebounds in 35 minutes in a win over sixth-ranked Texas A&M…Bounced back to score eight points and grab a season-high tying 12 boards in a win over Oakland…Tallied 13 points and a career-high seven steals vs. Michigan…Added seven points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in a win over Washington State…Grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over Arizona State…Was held scoreless for the first time in his career in a win at Arizona State (2/15) ... Added seven points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists in an NCAA Tournament second round win over Indiana.

2005-06 SEASON

Played in all 39 games, starting 38 contests…Averaged 9.1 points per game (354), as he made 53.8 percent of his field goals (134-of-249), 13.2 percent of his 3-pointers (5-of-38) and 72.3 percent of his free throws (81-of-112)…Led the team with 318 rebounds (8.2 per game), the 12th-best season total in school history…Doled out 52 assists (1.3 per game), as he added 44 steals (1.1 per game) and blocked 22 shots (0.6 per game)…Also had 65 turnovers…Recorded double-digit points 17 times and double-digit rebounds in 12 games…Produced eight double-double performances as a freshman.

2005-06 GAME ANALYSIS

Had six points and a team-high eight rebounds in his first collegiate contest, vs. New Mexico State ... In 33 minutes vs. Temple, he had a team-high 10 rebounds, eight points and one assist…In the Delaware State clash, he had eight points, a team-high six rebounds and three assists ... Followed with four points, a team-high seven rebounds, two steals and one block in 29 minutes vs. Memphis…Added nine points, a team-high eight rebounds, a season-high four steals and two assists vs. Drexel…Totaled 13 points and 13 rebounds (first career double-double), with one assist and steal vs. Albany…In the Coppin State game, he had his second consecutive double-double (11 points, game-high 10 rebounds), with a season-best four blocked shots ... In 25 minutes vs. Nevada, he had eight points, a team-high nine rebounds, two assists and one steal ... At Michigan, he had a game-high nine rebounds, four points, two assists and one blocked shot in 33 minutes ... Put in six points (including the game-winning lay-in with 14 seconds left to play, on an assist from Jordan Farmar), a team-high seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks vs. Wagner ... Had his third season double-double, with 11 rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot vs. Sacramento State…In 32 minutes vs. Stanford, he recorded his fourth double-double and led the Bruins in rebounding for the 12th consecutive game, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks ... Tallied eight points, a game-high nine rebounds, three assists and one steal vs. Arizona…At Arizona State, he contributed three points, a game-high eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in 29 minutes ... In 32 minutes vs. Washington State, he had nine points, a team-high nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal ... Recorded his fifth double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Washington…For his efforts, Mbah a Moute was named the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week, as he had a team-high 14 points and added eight rebounds, three assists, a team-high three steals and a team-high three blocks in 30 minutes vs. Oregon State…In 23 minutes at Washington, he had 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal ... At Southern California, he added eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds, his ninth game in double-figure boards, in 32 minutes ... In 30 minutes off the bench vs. Oregon (Senior Day), he led the team in scoring and rebounding, recording his seventh double-double of the year - 14 points and 10 rebounds ... In 31 minutes at Stanford, he contributed 12 points, a game-high nine rebounds, one steal and one block ... In the Pac-10 Tourney semi-final win over Arizona, he had 12 points, tied for the team lead with seven rebounds and added one assist and one block in 31 minutes ... In the Pac-10 title win over California, he played 32 minutes and had 10 points, four rebounds and one steal and also played strong defense on Leon Powe, helping shut him out for the final 16 minutes of the game ... In the NCAA first round victory over Belmont, he led the Bruins with 17 points and six assists - both career highs - and a game-high eight rebounds and three steals (tied) in 24 minutes ... Added nine points, a team-high six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 34 minutes vs. Alabama and in the Gonzaga clash, he recorded his eighth double-double of the team with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds and added two steals and one assist in 32 minutes, as he made a great catch and lay-up to give the Bruins a 72-71 lead with nine seconds remaining and his steal led to a tie-up and a UCLA possession with four seconds left ... Totaled 17 points, grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and added two steals and one assist in 30 minutes vs. Louisiana State ... In 32 minutes vs. Florida in the Final Four, he had six points, tied for the team lead with 10 rebounds and added one assist.

INJURY REPORT

2007-08: Sprained his left ankle late in the first half of the Pac-10 Tournament semifinal vs. Southern California (3/14), missing the Stanford game (3/15) and the Mississippi Valley State contest (3/20). 2006-07: Missed the Arizona game (1/20) due to a sprained right knee, which happened in the first half of the Arizona State clash (1/18).

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Montverde (Fla.) Academy, earning Street & Smith's All-American honorable mention…Top 150 member by Scout.com and was rated the 15th-best prospect in the state of Florida by FloridaHoops.com…Selected to All-Tournament teams in the Iolani Classic and Montverde Academy Invitational…As a senior, he led the team to a 21-6 record, as Montverde ranked second in the state and first in the Class 6A ranks…Led the team in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (7.3), as he averaged 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game…Shot 54.0 percent from the field, 51.0 percent (35-68) from 3-point range and 61.0 percent from the foul line.

SUMMER BASKETBALL

After his senior campaign, Mbah a Moute played in the Commonwealth Classic All-Star game in Richmond, Virginia, where he was a member of a national team of All-Stars who played a Virginia All-Star squad…Was also a finalist for the Nike Hoops Summit All-Star Game.

PERSONAL

Global Studies major…Son of Camille Moute a Bidias (father) and Agnes Goufane Ziem (mother) ... In Cameroon, he is the prince in his village Bafia (Bia Messe)…Born Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on 9/09/86 in Yaounde, Cameroon.