Indiana will have one of the best available centers in the transfer portal on campus in a few days.
Arizona transfer 7-footer Oumar Ballo will visit IU April 14-16, according to reports by Sam Kayser and others.
He also plans to visit Louisville April 16th-18th and Kansas State April 19th-21st. He’ll then visit North Carolina and Florida the following week.
At 7-foot and 260 pounds, Ballo was one of the best centers in the country this past season at Arizona. He averaged a double-double with 12.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while leading the Wildcats to the Sweet 16.
His shooting splits this season were 65.8% from the field and 49.5% from the free throw line. Ballo has never attempted a three in his four year college career. He shot 70.1% from the free throw line as a sophomore and is a career 56.4% shooter at the stripe.
In his first year at Arizona, Ballo was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Pac-12. He since has emerged in the conference as an all-league player the last two years. In that time, he is a two-time All Pac-12 First Team selection, a Pac-12 All-Defensive Selection and honorable mention, an All Pac-12 Tournament Team member, and was the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player in ’22-’23.
Ballo averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in the 2022-23 season, his first as a starter at Arizona. He was a major factor in a Dec. 2022 win over Indiana, with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Ballo, who is from Mali and went to high school in Spain, got his start at Gonzaga in 2020. He then transferred to Arizona when Tommy Lloyd, who was an assistant at Gonzaga, was hired as the Wildcats’ next head coach before the 2021-22 campaign.
Ballo is in the portal as a graduate transfer and will have one season of eligibility left.
IU now has at least five visitors set to be on campus in the coming weeks:
- April 12 – Pharrel Payne
- April 14 – Oumar Ballo
- April 14 – Connor Hickman
- April 19 – Kanaan Carlyle
- April 19 – Amari Williams
For a summary of IU’s main targets in the transfer portal, GO HERE. For a complete recap of their offseason roster movement, all prospects and Big Ten comings and goings, GO HERE.
For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.
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