At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a single Zoom call sent Bez Mbeng on a path to Yale and Ivy League glory.
Mbeng, who was a standout guard for Our Lady of Good Counsel high school in Olney, Maryland, at the time, met over Zoom with James Jones, the head coach of Yale’s men’s basketball team. It was their first conversation and when it ended, Mbeng knew he was destined to be a Bulldog.
“I came away from the call thinking ‘I want to play for that man,’” Mbeng said, who had received scholarship offers from several other schools. “It’s hard to describe, but he has an aura about him. My parents and I trusted him right away.”
Four years later, the 6’4” guard will graduate as one of the most accomplished Yale basketball players of all time. Over his career, the men’s basketball team achieved unprecedented success, winning three Ivy League tournament championships, two conference regular season titles, and securing three NCAA tournament appearances. In 2024, the Bulldogs stunned basketball fans nationwide when, as a 13-seed, they upset the highly favored Auburn Tigers from the mighty Southeastern Conference in the tournament’s opening round.
Along the way, Mbeng racked up an impressive list of individual accolades. He is a three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and was named the league’s 2024-2025 Player of the Year. Last season, he also recorded three triple doubles — when a player amasses double digits in points, assists, and rebounds in a game — which led the nation.
Asked to share his favorite memories from his time at Yale, Mbeng emphasized the friendships he has forged both within the basketball program and the wider campus community.
“It’s all about the people I’ve met,” he said. “It’s my coaches and my teammates. It’s my community at Pauli Murray College, which always had my back. The people were amazing.”
Mbeng, center, poses off the court with his teammates.
As a basketball player, he most values the Ivy League championships.
“When the confetti falls and your guys are hoisting up the trophy, there’s just no other feeling like it,” he said.
He fondly recalled a pair of tight victories over Cornell before packed houses at John J. Lee Amphitheater, particularly a barnburner in the 2023-24 season in which a late basket by teammate Matt Knowling sealed the Bulldogs’ victory.
He also savors the narrow victory over Brown in the 2024 Ivy League championship game, which Yale won via another Knowling buzzer beater. “That was the craziest basketball moment I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of,” he said.
Off the court, he says he appreciated the support he received from his peers in Pauli Murray, especially during his first year when the friends he made there helped him adjust to life as a Yale student.
“They’ve been like a family,” he said.
A political science major, Mbeng plans to pursue a professional basketball career after graduation. He will participate in a “pro day” in Chicago to showcase his skills in front of NBA scouts and coaches ahead of the NBA draft in June. He also has workouts scheduled with NBA teams.
Mbeng credits Jones and the coaching staff for helping him hone his skills.
“He trusted me even when I was a freshman to be on the court and help lead us to an Ivy League Championship,” he said. “He helped me develop my game. Honestly, he means everything to me.”
