ACC Basketball: Zion, Ty Jerome and Coby White lead All-NCAA Tournament team

Mfiondu Kabengele – Florida State

Mfiondu Kabengele may be a surprise player to some on my All-ACC Tournament team, but he is more than deserving based on his performances during the three games that Florida State played in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. It is probably even more shocking when you realize that Kabengele did not start a single game for the Seminoles in the NCAA Tournament.

Yet, when watching Florida State play in the Tournament and seeing the post game box scores, it was clear that Kabengele was the most important player for Florida State in the Tournament. Kabengele scored 23% of the Seminoles points in the Tournament and was fierce on both the offensive and defensive glass.

His presence on defense is also not captured in the box score as in addition to blocking shots, Kabengele affected many opposing team’s offensive possessions by just being in the paint. The only thing missing from his game was the signature finger wag that his uncle, former Philadelphia 76er great, Dikembe Mutombo, made so famous after blocking an opposing players shot.

Gonzaga was able to tame Kabengele on the offensive end, and it was not a shock that Florida State lost that game. It is rare that a team goes as a bench player goes, but that was the case for the Seminoles in the Tournament this year and Kabengele deserves to be on the All-ACC Tournament team with his performances.