Girls Basketball: Deanara Mbouge sparks Olentangy Berlin Bears with energetic play
Deanara Mbouge loves playing basketball, and that infectious passion is apparent every time she takes the court for the Olentangy Berlin girls team.
Case in point, the 5-foot-10 senior post player stole the ball just beyond the 3-point line Jan. 18 as a Westerville Central player was moving the ball up the court. After what coach Brock Cunningham called “a Magic Johnson play,” Mbouge spun around with her dribble into the paint and was called for a double-dribble. Despite the turnover, she looked up to the lights in the Berlin gym with a huge grin on her face.
Not one to pout, Mbouge then moved to the defensive end of the court, deflecting a pass for another steal that was converted into a layup.
“I try to bring energy the best I can,” said Mbouge, who had 15 points, five rebounds and two steals in the 53-47 win over the Warhawks. “Sometimes when I’m low, the coaches will talk to me and tell me that I still have to bring energy and get up and get back on (defense). Even if you miss a shot or travel or turn the ball over, you still have to get back on D. I just try to keep my head up as best I can.
“I feel like my teammates feed off my energy. When I have low days, they also have low days.”
Mbouge’s enthusiasm for the game comes in part from missing her junior season after tearing her left ACL. She heard three pops in her knee during a preseason drill in 2020, but felt no pain. Still, the recovery from the injury kept her out of contact drills until she was cleared Oct. 22.
“When I was cleared, I was really hungry to play,” Mbouge said. “You have to take every play, every moment on the bench, you have to take that with gratitude. You really miss it if you’re injured or you can’t play.
“That season off gave me a lot of insight. I know if you come back scared, you’ll play scared the rest of the season. I was hungry from the start.”
Through 14 games, Mbouge was the leader in scoring (10.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.4) for the Bears, who were 2-12 overall and 0-6 in the OCC-Cardinal Division before playing Olentangy on Jan. 21.
“The summer was hard,” Cunningham said. “When Dea was here she could do shooting drills, but when we would go to contact stuff I would have to tell her, ‘Not yet.’ She’d give me a look, but it was hard for both of us. I told her that we would get there, but it took some time.
“Early on (after being cleared), she was thinking about things, and she almost looked cautious at times. It was like she didn’t know how it would feel going 100 percent to there being no thinking about it now. She just goes out and plays.”
Mbouge is able to take on taller opponents in the post using her strength and agility. She said it comes down to positioning herself correctly.
“I just try to get in front of (taller players) the best that I can,” she said. “When they try to get around me, I try to go for the lob. I just try to work around them.”
Cunningham said Mbouge is a presence in the paint because of her ability to use her feet.
“Dea has really great feet,” he said. “I think she does a great job in the post of using that step-in-and-seal move. Especially when we reverse the ball, she knows she has that position. She steps and seals really, really well, and you see that in the way she’s played in the last stretch. She’s sealing and demanding the ball very well.”
Mbouge would like to continue her playing days at the college level, but has not made a decision about a school. Cunningham said she would be a welcome addition to any program, and she has been the heartbeat of the Bears.
“Dea is a physical leader for us with her presence, but what she learned last year being out has made her more of a vocal leader,” he said. “She brings a physicality. There have been many times that you look at Dea, and you know a big drop step is coming or one of those ‘smack-it’ rebounds. Dea has reached out and stolen a ball from a girl going up court and just plucked it, drop-stepped and scored. ...
“I also think it’s her energy. When she plays with her heart and plays with her energy, the girls rise to that. They rally around it, and they look to her. When Deanara is at her best, we play at our best.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Girls Basketball: Mbouge sparks Olentangy Berlin with energetic play
