Luc Mbah a Moute
 Mbah a Moute with the Bucks |
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| No. 12 Milwaukee Bucks | |
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| Small forward / Power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 9, 1986 Yaoundé, Cameroon |
| Nationality | Cameroon |
| High school | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Florida) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | UCLA (2005–2008) |
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall |
| Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks | |
| Pro career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
| 2008–present | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | ||
Competitor for  Cameroon |
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| African Championships | ||
| Silver | 2007 Angola | National team |
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (pronounced BAH ah MOO-tay) (born September 9, 1986 in Yaoundé, Cameroon) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mbah a Mouté is a prince in his native village of Bia Messe (near Yaounde),[1] as he is a son of the elected village chief, Camille Mouté à Bidias. His father is a high-ranking government official, managing the National Employment Fund of Cameroon, a training and job-placement national agency.
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[edit] College career
From Montverde Academy in Florida, Mbah a Mouté led the Pac-10 Champion Bruins in rebounding as a freshman. Mbah a Mouté led or tied for the lead for the Bruins in rebounding in 27 regular season games. In the NCAA tournament, Mbah a Mouté scored the winning layup at the end of a comeback win over Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. Mbah a Mouté also posted 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist in a Final Four victory over LSU. For the year, Mbah a Mouté averaged 8.9 points and 8.1 rebounds.
He became something of a cult phenomenon among the UCLA faithful. Along with fellow Cameroonian Alfred Aboya, the dynamic duo sparked the "Cameroon Crazies" (a take-off of Duke's "Cameron Crazies" fans) section, along with an enormously popular t-shirt which read "Moute Kicks Boute".[2] Mbah a Mouté himself became known as 'The Fresh Prince', after the television show of the same name.[3]
His mother, Goufane a Ziem Agnes Bertine, and his father, Camille Mouté à Bidias had never seen him play for UCLA, until they came from Cameroon to attend the Final Four of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.[4] During the 2008 season, his team had a record of 35–4 and won their third-straight Pac-10 title and third-straight NCAA Final Four.
Mbah a Moute ended his UCLA career with an honorable mention All-Pac-10, honorable mention Pac-10 All-Defensive Team selection and a fifth place finish in scoring (8.8 ppg). He is ranked as the No. 15 rebounder with a total of 775 rebounds.
Mbah a Moute became the first player to start in three straight Final Fours at UCLA in thirty-four years. Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes and Greg Lee (1972–74) were the last players at UCLA, and Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell) of Michigan State (1999–2001) were the last ones to do so.
[edit] NBA career
Mbah a Moute gave up his eligibility to play college basketball at UCLA for his senior year to enter the 2008 NBA Draft, in which he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round (overall pick #37).[5][6]
As a second round pick, Mbah a Moute got off to a quick start with the Milwaukee Bucks, and quickly became a fan favorite. His strong play, especially on defense, led to him overtaking Charlie Villanueva as the Bucks' starting power forward only nine games into the season. In his second game as a starter, Mbah a Moute posted career highs of 19 points and 17 rebounds in a 101–96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Bucks head coach Scott Skiles and general manager John Hammond both praised Mbah a Moute's defensive skills.[7] As of 2011, Mbah a Moute has averaged 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his career. He has shot 46.7% from the field in about 26 minutes per game.
After 2010-11 season, he became a restricted free agent. On December 12, 2011, he signed an offer sheet with the Denver Nuggets. The contract reportedly worth $18.7 million for 4 years. However, on December 13, Bucks matched the offer and kept Mbah a Moute with the team.[8]
[edit] Personal
He is the twin brother of Emmanuel Bidias a Moute, who plays basketball for Texas State University.
Mbah a Moute also plays for the Cameroon national basketball team.
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] NBA
| 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 |
[edit] Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Milwaukee | 82 | 52 | 25.8 | .462 | .000 | .729 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .5 | 7.2 |
| 2009–10 | Milwaukee | 73 | 62 | 25.6 | .480 | .353 | .699 | 5.5 | 1.1 | .8 | .5 | 6.2 |
| 2010–11 | Milwaukee | 79 | 52 | 26.5 | .463 | .000 | .707 | 5.3 | .9 | .9 | .4 | 6.7 |
| Career | 234 | 166 | 26.0 | .467 | .214 | .713 | 5.6 | 1.0 | .9 | .5 | 6.7 |
[edit] Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Milwaukee | 7 | 7 | 25.4 | .520 | .000 | .600 | 5.6 | .7 | .3 | .0 | 9.1 |
| Career | 7 | 7 | 25.4 | .520 | .000 | .600 | 5.6 | .7 | .3 | .0 | 9.1 |
[edit] Awards and recognition
Mbah a Moute was named the Freshman of the Year in the Pacific Ten Conference, edging out Arizona freshman Marcus Williams.
[edit] References
- ^ Daily Bruin article Cameroon Calling Accessed July 20, 2006
- ^ USA Today article about the Bruins which includes information about the Cameroon Crazies Accessed July 20, 2006
- ^ 'Cameroon crazies' an odd couple for UCLA
- ^ Diane Pucin and Mike Hiserman - UCLA's Collison has had enough of 'One Shining Moment'. Los Angeles Times, April 5, 2008
- ^ "UCLA's Mbah a Moute the latest Bruin to enter NBA draft". Sports Illustrated. 2008-04-18. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/ncaa/04/18/mbah.a.moute.nba.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-18.[dead link]
- ^ Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to Remain in NBA Draft
- ^ Aschburner, Steve (January 13, 2009). "Rookie Mbah a Moute proving to be a prince of a player for the Bucks". SI.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5xylpIstn.
- ^ "Bucks Match Offer Sheet; Re-sign Mbah a Moute to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. 2011-12-13. http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/mbah_a_moute_111213.html. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
[edit] External links
- Luc Mbah a Moute Draft 2008 Profile @ NBA.com
- Luc Mbah a Moute Player Info @ DraftExpress.com
- Luc Mbah a Moute – UCLA Player Bio
- Bruin Basketball Report
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