2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster
Biography
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
@OumarBallo32
@oumarballo11
NIL Inquiries
PRONUNCIATION: "EW-mar BALL-oh" (hear it)
2023-24 (Redshirt Senior Season)
First Team All Pac-12
Pac-12 All-Defensive Team
Arizona career leader in Field Goal Pct. (64.6%)
Pac-12 Tournament All-Tournament Team
- One of 10 players in Arizona history with 1,000 career points and 800 career rebounds as a Wildcat
- His 34 career double-doubles are tied for third in Arizona history
- His 20 double-doubles during the 2023-24 season are tied for third-most in a season in Arizona history
- He joins Deandre Ayton (24), Al Fleming (22) and Jordan Hill (20) as the only Wildcats to register 20 or more double-doubles in a season
- Ranks 7th in Arizona history with 134 career blocked shots
- Ranks 8th in Arizona history in career rebounds (830)
- Became the 54th player in Arizona history to score 1,000 points
- Had a string of nine straight games with a double-double during the month of February, the longest by a Wildcat since Al Fleming in 1974-75
- Shot 65.8% from the floor for the year, the second-best single season percentage in Arizona history; he also owns the third-best percentage of 64.7% during the 2022-23 season
- Pac-12 Player of the Week on Dec. 26 after averaging 15.5 points and 16.5 rebounds against Alabama and FAU
- Pulled down 21 rebounds against FAU, the most since Jordan Hill had 22 in 2008; his nine offensive rebounds in the game were the most by a Wildcat since Derrick Williams had nine in 2011
- Also one of five players named to USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week list on Dec. 27
- Preseason All-American
- Preseason First Team All Pac-12
- Preseason Pac-12 Player of the Year (ESPN.com; Blue Ribbon Magazine)
- Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
- Wooden Award Preseason Watch List
2022-23 (Redshirt Junior Season)
First Team All Pac-12
Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year
Pac-12 All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention
Pac-12 All-Tournament Team
Maui Invitational Most Outstanding Player
- NCAA.com National Player of the Week on Nov. 28 after helping the Wildcats win the Maui Invitational
- Was on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 10 list near the end of the season and on the midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy
- Shot 64.7% from the floor for the season, which was eighth-best in the nation and the second-best single-season percentage in Arizona history
- Started all 35 games and averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest
- Ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in scoring, second in rebounding and third in field goal percentage
- Was 26th in the country and first in the Pac-12 with 209 free throw attempts
- Posted 12 double-doubles on the year, the third-most in the Pac-12 and led the Wildcats with 45 blocked shots
- Scored in double figures 29 times, including six games of 20+ points and one 30-point effort
- Tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds against Cincinnati (11/21) at the Maui Invitational
- In the championship game of the Maui Invitational against Creighton (11/23), he led Arizona with 30 points and 13 rebounds to secure MVP of the tournament
- Was 10 of 12 from the floor for 22 points and added three blocked shots at Utah (12/1)
- Against No. 17 Indiana (12/10), he went for 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win
- Finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds at Washington (1/28)
- In the win over Colorado (2/18), he posted 18 points and 16 rebounds …
- Had 13 points and 12 rebounds against Princeton (3/16) in the NCAA Tournament
- Was a preseason All Pac-12 Honorable Mention pick.
2021-22 (Redshirt Sophomore Season)
Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year (HoopsHD.com)
- In his first season with the Wildcats, he appeared in all 37 games off the bench, playing an average of 15.3 minutes per game
- Averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game
- Shot 62.2% from the floor and 70.1% from the free throw line
- Ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in and second on the team with 44 blocked shots
- In Pac-12 play, his production increased to 8.0 points per game and 68.2% shooting (led Pac-12)
- Registered two double-doubles on the season
- Posted first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against California Baptist (12/18)
- Set a career high with 21 points in 22 minutes at Stanford (1/20)
- Second double-double of the year came at Arizona State (2/7) with 13 points and 10 rebounds
- Was 7 of 7 from the floor on his way to 16 points against Cal (3/5)
- Blocked a career high six shots against UCLA (3/12) in the championship game of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Summer 2021
- Named captain of the U19 team from Mali that competed at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia, finishing in 13th place
- Averaged 12.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.9 blocked shots over seven games
- His 51.9% shooting from the floor ranked fifth overall at the tournament
- Averaged 12.3 rebounds per game, good for fourth-most in the event
- His 20 total blocked shots were second only to Victor Wembanyama (FRA) in the tournament
- Efficiency rating was the eighth best in the tournament
- Contributed nine points and five rebounds against the United States in group play
- Had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds against Turkey while adding four steals and three blocked shots
- In the round of 16, he had 10 points and six rebounds in a loss France
- Had another double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists against Iran in the consolation bracket
- Tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds against Japan
- Closed the tournament with 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots against Puerto Rico in the 13th place game
Prior to Arizona
- Transferred to Arizona following the 2020-21 season
- Started his collegiate career at Gonzaga by redshirting during the 2019-20 season
- During his redshirt freshman season with the Zags in 2020-21, he appeared in 24 games and averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and shot 62.9% from the floor as Gonzaga was undefeated and advanced to the national championship game before losing to Baylor
- Had a season-high 17 points and five rebounds against Dixie State
- Prior to Gonzaga, he was named one of hte top international prospects by Jonathan Givony in 2019
- At the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, Ballo led Mali to its best-ever finish, placing second in the event
- He was named to the tournament's All-Star Five
- Mali fell to the United States in the tournament championship game, but Ballo finished with 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots
- It was the highest-ever finish by a team from Africa, and no team from the continent had ever placed higher than 11th
- Ballo played in five games and led the tournament in rebounds (11.8 rpg) and blocks (3.8)
- He averaged 17.6 points and made 52.4 percent of his shots from the field, which both ranked seventh in the tournament
- Ballo, who has been measured with a 7-6 wingspan, averaged 21 points and 17 rebounds at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina in 2018
- In pool play against the Dominican Republic, he scored 32 points and grabbed 32 rebounds
- Ballo helped Mali clinch their first-ever title at the FIBA U18 African Championship in 2018 at home, booking their third ticket to the U19 World Cup and second straight
- In addition to helping Mali win the U18 African crown, Ballo also was named to the All-Star Five as Mali claimed the title at the FIBA U16 African Championship 2017 - the country's first trophy at that age group which gave them back-to-back appearances at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup
- Ballo played at the NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico City alongside former Arizona teammate Bennedict Mathurin, and was one of the youngest participants in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, N.C.
- He stood out at the Next Generation Showcase during the Final Four in Minneapolis
- Ballo had a breakout performance at the FIBA U16 African Championship. He averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds in just 21 minutes per game in the tournament
Statistics
Season Statistics
No statistics available for this season.
There are no statistics available for this player.
Historical Player Information
-
2021-22Redshirt Sophomore
Center
7'0"
260 lbs
-
2022-23Redshirt Junior
Center
7'0"
260 lbs
-
2023-24Redshirt Senior
Center
7'0"
260 lbs
