University of Texas Arlington Athletics

CAREER OVERVIEW | Career Statistics
Career-High Points: 22 vs. Louisiana (1/13/22)
Career-High Rebounds: 12, 2x, Last vs. ULM (2/6/21)
Career-High Assists: 5 vs. Louisiana (1/13/22)
Career-High Steals: 4, 3x, Last vs. Louisiana (3/3/22)

AWARDS
2021-22 Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll

AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE (2021-22) | 9.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG | Game-By-Game Stats
Finished 2nd on UTA in scoring, 3rd in steals and 4th in rebounding … notched double-figure points on 12 occasions … led the Mavs in scoring four times, including one tie … poured in a career-high 22 points and issued a career-best five assists versus Louisiana (Jan. 13) ... followed it up with his second-career 20-point game with exactly 20 versus ULM (Jan. 15) ... broke a season-high five-game single-digit scoring stretch with 11 versus Arkansas State (Feb. 19) ... team-high 15 points versus Texas State (Jan. 27) ... 16 points in a win over South Alabama (Dec. 30) ... tied then-season-highs with 16 points and eight rebounds at Georgia State (Jan. 6) ... 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists versus Howard Payne (Dec. 22) … posted 11 contests with 5+ rebounds … 21 games with at least one steal … had four steals in two games: the first versus South Alabama (Dec. 30) and second against Louisiana in the Sun Belt Championship First Round (Mar. 3) … returned at Utah State (Nov. 27) after missing three games due to COVID protocol … played in 26 of 29 games, making 21 starts … averaged 27.2 minutes per game – the 3rd-most on the team.

SUMMER 2021
Represented his native Democratic Republic of Congo at the FIBA AfroBasket 2021. Mwamba, who was raised in Bukavu in coastal eastern Congo, earned a spot on the national team to compete in the African Championships which are contested once every four years. In three games – one win and two losses for Congo in the Group Stage – Mwamba averaged nine points, four rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per contest.

AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE (2020-21) | 6.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG | Game-By-Game Stats
Played in 25 games with 22 starts … reached double-figure points nine times, including five of the final eight games of the year … career-high 19 points and career-high-tying 12 rebounds against ULM (Feb. 6) as part of his second double-double … first-ever double-double of 13 points and a team-best 12 rebounds against Northwestern State (Nov. 28) … blocked a career-high five shots versus Arkansas State (Feb. 26) ... ranked 3rd on the team in field-goal percentage (38.5) and 3-pointers made (34) … 118 total rebounds were the most by a UTA player … 2nd on the team with 20 blocks … tied for 2nd on the club with 22 steals … posted three-straight double-figure scoring games (Jan. 8-15) for the first time in his career; had three career double-figure point games entering that stretch ... grabbed nine rebounds versus Little Rock (Jan. 22) … knocked down three 3-pointers in a game seven times … season-best three steals in the Sun Belt Tournament against Troy (Mar. 5) … had 10 games with 5+ rebounds … recorded at least one steal in 16 contests … averaged 22.3 minutes per outing … did not play against Hardin-Simmons (rest).

AS A SOPHOMORE (2019-20) | Game-By-Game Stats
Broke his right foot five games into the year in the 1st half at #8 Gonzaga (Nov. 19) and utilized a redshirt season … the non-contact injury occurred after grabbing a rebound off a Gonzaga free throw … prior to the injury, he scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds in the season opener against UT Dallas (Nov. 5) … scored four points and had four rebounds at #14 Oregon (Nov. 17) … in the five games he played, he averaged three points and 3.6 rebounds.

AS A FRESHMAN (2018-19) | 3.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG | Game-By-Game Stats
Scored a career- and season-high 13 points in the first game of the year opposite UT Tyler (Nov. 6) as he made his collegiate debut in a starting role … only other double-figure point game occurred in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals against Georgia Southern (Mar. 16) with 10 points … third-highest point total of the season came in the Sun Belt Tournament Final against Georgia State (Mar. 17) with seven points … pulled down a personal-best nine rebounds at Missouri (Dec. 4); entered the game with 15 total boards on the year in six contests … recorded five or more rebounds in five games … had at least one steal in 14 games and had multiple thefts on seven occasions … missed six games due to injuries … played in 27 games with 12 starts – started each of the final six games of the year … averaged 14.3 minutes per outing.

HIGH SCHOOL
Mwamba is the first NBA Academy Africa graduate to sign with an NCAA Division-I school and just the fourth overall from the seven NBA Academies throughout the world. The elite training academy in Africa – located in Senegal – is a partnership between the NBA and non-profit SEED Project (Sports for Education and Economic Development), which uses basketball as a platform to engage youth in academic, athletic and leadership programs.
 
NBA Academies include educational development for top prospects from outside the United States and mark a signature elite player-development initiative for the NBA. The initiative exposes elite prospects to NBA-level coaching and facilities and competition, while providing a global framework for them to maximize their success. As part of the program, the prospects compete against top competitors throughout the year and have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games. 
 
Employing a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills, NBA Academies build on the league's existing grassroots programming, including Basketball Without Borders (BWB) – the NBA and the International Basketball Federation's (FIBA) global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen more than 55 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents.
 
In the spring of 2018, Mwamba participated in the first NCAA-sponsored Next Generation Sunday at the Final Four in San Antonio in partnership with the NBA Academies. The event was designed to provide unprecedented opportunities for potential future student-athletes, and that is exactly what transpired for UTA and Mwamba as Mavericks' coaches saw him participate in educational, life skills and competitive programming as part of the Final Four experience.
 
That experience – coupled with high praise from several NBA scouts – led the UTA staff to watch several games on film before flying to see Mwamba's team compete in an NBA Academy showcase in Australia while Mwamba was prepping for his Baccalaureate exam. Despite Mwamba not in attendance due to his exam, the coaches could glean enough about the talent around him and who he was competing against to know they had a tough, talented player.
 
Of Mwamba's outlook as a player, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express had the following to say after the Basketball Without Border Global Camp at NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans:
  
Each NBA Academy is staffed with NBA-trained coaches who foster the development of student-athletes on and off the court, during and after their basketball careers. NBA Academy coaches implement a curriculum developed by leading player-development coaches that teaches the fundamentals of the game so student-athletes improve individually and as teammates. Each NBA Academy is also staffed with an experienced strength and conditioning coach who helps the student-athletes improve their athleticism and stay healthy.
 
Depending on the location of the academy, student-athletes either attend a local public school or receive a scholarship to a local private school, and all student-athletes receive academic support as needed. In addition to academic development, the student-athletes receive life-skills training, including health and wellness education, financial management and career development.

PERSONAL
Born on Oct. 11, 1999 ... son of Vivione and Pierre ... one of 12 siblings ... has ran a mile in 4 minutes and 53 seconds.