She had seen it firsthand plenty of times, so Malu Tshitenge-Mutombo knew the time was right to go to her uncle's go-to move.
It was earlier this season when the 6-foot-3 sophomore at St. John's College High School (Washington, D.C.) felt the need to send a message. The game was heated, and Tshitenge-Mutombo said she had been taunted and threatened by an opposing player.
"It just happened," she said. "Usually when I block a shot, I catch the ball and keep playing. But I was tired of them talking trash and playing dirty."
For the first time in her high school career, Tshitenge-Mutombo wagged her right finger in a way that felt totally natural. And totally familiar to those watching.
You guessed it: One of her paternal uncles is Dikembe Mutombo, an eight-time NBA All-Star who blocked 3,289 shots during his Hall of Fame career. Mutombo, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, made the finger wag famous, and now his 16-year-old niece was trying the gesture on for size.
"Earlier in the game," she said, "there was a tie-up, and the girl said, 'Next time, I'm going to break your arm.' I just laughed and walked away."
Her pointed response was worth the wait.
Teammate Carly Rivera said she loves it when Tshitenge-Mutombo gets "hyped."
"She did it once in eighth grade," Rivera recalled. "I think it makes her play even better."
Tshitenge-Mutombo is playing pretty well as it is, shooting 52 percent from the floor and averaging 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game for St. John's, ranked sixth in the country.
Tshitenge-Mutombo is highly recruited, although she said it's too early to formulate a list of college favorites. She is focused on high school, and last month she helped her Cadets (19-1) knock off the top-ranked team in the nation, Paul VI (Fairfax, Virginia), with a resounding 68-52 win. St. John's guard Aisha Sheppard, a Virginia Tech recruit, had 24 points in that game.
Paul VI (21-1) will host the Cadets on Sunday in a rematch between the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference rivals, and Tshitenge-Mutombo said she's ready.
"Some people think our win was a fluke because Aisha was on fire in that game," she said. "But I think we won because of our defense."
It figures that someone named Mutombo would focus on defense, and Cadets coach Jonathan Scribner doesn't mind that one bit.
The coach said Tshitenge-Mutombo, who played her freshman season at Bullis (Potomac, Maryland), has been "an unbelievable addition" to his roster.
"It's her approach," Scribner said. "She has a positive, happy attitude with no ego.
"When we have to go small, she sits on the bench and cheers on her teammates. When we call her name, she jumps up. ... She's everything you want in a player."
Starting with that family height. Dikembe Mutombo, who is 7-2, has two sisters who are 6-7 and 6-8, and six brothers, none shorter than 6-6. Lea Tshitenge, Malu's mother, is 5-10. Malu's father, whose name is Tshitenge Mutombo, is 6-6. Malu's older sister, Biamba Tshitenge, is 5-9 and plays college volleyball as an outside hitter for Frostburg State, a Division III program in Maryland.
Ilo Mutombo, one of Malu's uncles, has worked with her on her game and believes she's still growing.
"I think she will be taller than her father," said Ilo, predicting another growth spurt of more than three inches.
In addition to the height, she's also got the smarts. She has a 4.7 GPA while taking honors courses. She's learning to be more fluent in her second language (French), and she's interested in possibly studying business.
"When we have to go small, she sits on the bench and cheers on her teammates. When we call her name, she jumps up. ... She's everything you want in a player." Jonathan Scribner
Malu got a late start in the sport that made her uncle famous.
At first, Malu and Biamba were tennis players. Malu said her father had dreams of making Malu and Biamba their family's version of the Williams sisters.
"I started playing tennis when I was about 8, and I played for three years," said Malu, who doesn't get to see Dikembe as often as she would like because he lives in Atlanta. "I didn't take it that seriously, but my dad constantly kept us on the court. We had a coach work with us three times a week."
But Malu outgrew tennis -- literally and figuratively.
"When Malu got to [age] 11, she became very tall," said Lea, who, like her husband, is a native of Congo. "I said, 'Is this my daughter?' One day, I said, 'Malu, is that you?'
"I decided to put her in basketball, and Malu was very excited."
Malu said the biggest difference between tennis and basketball, for her, is the team aspect.
"I'm a people person," Malu said. "I love being a teammate, and that's what has kept me going in basketball."
Malu said her dad was disappointed when she quit tennis, but he came around.
"When he saw me play basketball," Malu said, "he saw how much I loved the sport."
Tim Fudd, who coaches Malu with the Fairfax Stars AAU program, said her tennis background gave her good footwork.
"She runs the floor tremendously well, and her motor is unmatched," Fudd said.
Malu, who weighs about 155 pounds, needs to get stronger and improve her left hand. Being a little more patient when she's posting up is also on her to-do list.
"Her motor is always telling her, 'Go, go, go,'" Fudd said. "But in the post, she needs to take her time."
Scribner said Malu is also working on her high-post jumper and her ability to take one dribble from that spot and then finish at the rim.
"I don't think her becoming a McDonald's All-American is out of the question," Scribner said. "I think signing with a top-five college and playing in the WNBA -- all of that is within reach."