As the Arizona Wildcats enter another offseason in which they failed to get past the Sweet 16, the team learned Monday they would be without one of their best-returning players as they get set to move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12.
Center Oumar Ballo, who was named to the All-Pac 12 first team in each of the past two seasons, released a statement Monday afternoon on his social media platforms saying he would be entering the transfer portal.
Thank you Tucson pic.twitter.com/mCsNgNW7Sd
— Oumar Ballo (@OumarBallo32) April 8, 2024
“I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, friends and family for their ongoing support to make me the best player and person I can be. “I especially would like to thank Coach Lloyd for the impact he has had on my life — Arizona is in great hands. With that being said, I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a graduate student for my final year of eligibility,” Ballo said in the statement.
Ballo’s college career originally started with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where the 7-foot Malian center played his first season. In 24 games for Mark Few’s Bulldogs, Ballo averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He then transferred to Arizona where he averaged 11.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, with his best season coming in 2023-24 when he averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game to go along with 1.3 blocks.
Ballo will have one year of eligibility remaining and is one of the best players in the portal.
