Oumar Ballo has announced that he will be joining Indiana’s basketball team next season, after being ranked as the top player in the transfer portal this spring. Standing at 7 feet tall, Ballo is widely regarded as one of the best big men in the Pac-12 and has spent the past three seasons at Arizona, where he averaged a double-double last year with 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, helping the Wildcats reach the Sweet 16.
Prior to his time at Arizona, Ballo began his collegiate career at Gonzaga before following head coach Tommy Lloyd to Arizona in 2021. Over the past two seasons, he has dominated in the Pac-12 and had an impressive season with 20 double-doubles. Despite a loss to Clemson in the Sweet 16, Ballo put up impressive numbers with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
As a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, Ballo made the choice to play under Mike Woodson at Indiana. Woodson is looking to turn around the Hoosiers after a disappointing season where they missed out on making it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in his tenure. Along with recent commitments from guard Myles Rice from Washington State, Ballo and Rice will be key players in helping Indiana rebound and compete in the expanded Big Ten conference next season.
