Dikembe Mutombo's niece signs with Michigan State volleyball

It may only be a matter of time before we see some finger-waggin' in Jenison Field House.

The Michigan State volleyball team signed three players in its 2019 recruiting class last Wednesday. And one player, in particular, caught our attention: Biamba Kabengele. 

The 6-foot outside hitter from Ontario, Canada, is the niece of NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who manned the center position for 18 seasons with Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston, and who was known for wagging his finger after blocked shots.  

Kabengele's brother, Mfiondu, currently plays college basketball at Florida State. Not too shabby for the family bloodline.

Biamba Kabengele is quite accomplished herself, as her club team just missed out on medals at the 2017 Canada Games and 2017 Volleyball Canada. Her team, Halton Region Volleyball Club, was a silver medalist in 2016. Her high school team, Corpus Christi Catholic, was the Ontario OSFAA "AA" champion in 2017. 

"Biamba is explosive – she is a dynamic, powerful hitter and blocker who is a six-rotation player. Her game is very physical, aggressive and competitive," said MSU coach Cathy George in a press release. "Biamba has a ton of personality when she plays.  We're looking forward to her growing into a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten as her game develops."

Rounding out the 2019 class is 5-8 defensive specialist Hannah Grant (Northville) and 6-3 middle blocker Emma Monks (Louisville, Kentucky/Assumption). 

Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend.