By ADAM ZAGORIA
Oumar Ballo has officially signed with Indiana after committing on April 16.
The 7-foot center from Mali is transferring to the Big 10 school from Arizona after averaging 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds last season.
“Oumar is a dominating post presence on both ends of the floor with a winning background,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “His experience playing at the highest level will elevate our program. He is a big fella with soft touch around the rim, good hands, and solid footwork. He is very physical and is a perfect fit in our system and our league. We are really happy to welcome Oumar and his family to Bloomington.”
Ballo began his career at Gonzaga with a redshirt season in 2019-20 before earning a spot in the rotation for a Bulldog program that finished 31-1, won both the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Championship game. Overall, Ballo has won 84.8% (112-of-132) of the games he has appeared in throughout his career. Prior to his collegiate career, Ballo was highly successful in the international scene and was tabbed the top international prospect by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony in 2019. He led Mali to its best-ever finish (2nd) at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, the highest-ever finish by an African team. He was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five after he averaged 17.6 points (7th in the tournament), 11.8 rebounds (1st), and 3.8 blocks (1st) while shooting 52.4% from the floor in five tournament games. Mike Woodson and his staff also landed former Washington State guard Myles Rice and former Stanford guard Kanaan Carlyle. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookOumar Ballo is headed to @IndianaMBB, per @JonRothstein. pic.twitter.com/5zaNyvxZFx
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) April 16, 2024
