Yves Mekongo Mbala is a Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

ian amateur basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player currently playing collegiately

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 in the United States. He is a , 210 lbs. forward originally from Yaoundé

Yaoundé

-Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods...

. He is a three-year starter for the La Salle Explorers

La Salle Explorers men's basketball

The La Salle Explorers Men's Basketball Team is the college basketball program representing La Salle University.-History:The program has been rated the 53rd "Greatest College Basketball Program of All-Time" by Street & Smith's magazine and 71st by the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia.La Salle...

 of the Atlantic 10 Conference. During his 2008-09 junior year, Mekongo was the Explorers' leading rebounder, pulling down six boards per game, and third leading scorer, scoring 10.4 points per game. He was named to the Atlantic Ten Conference's All-Academic Team in both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

Mekongo participated in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship as a member of the Cameroon national basketball team

Cameroon national basketball team

Cameroon national basketball team is a basketball team that represents Cameroon on international competitions. Their best achievement is reaching the Silver Medal in FIBA Africa Championship held in 2007.- African Championship record :-Roster:...

. He pulled down a game-leading eight rebounds in the bronze medal game against Tunisia

Tunisia national basketball team

Tunisia national basketball team is the national basketball team of Tunisia. To date, they have 18 appearances at the FIBA Africa Championship, ranking them behind only traditional African powers Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and Egypt in total appearances. In 2011 they won their first ever FIBA Africa...

, but the team lost the game and finished short of qualifying for the 2010 FIBA World Championship

2010 FIBA World Championship

The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...

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Mekongo was named to the 30-man preseason candidate list for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is an annual college athletic award in the NCAA Division I. Qualified competitors must be seniors who have remained within their NCAA Division I college for a four-year commitment and achieved excellence in one of nine sports.....

 prior to the 2009-10 season

2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010 on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first...

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