Oumar Ballo (basketball)

Oumar Ballo (born 13 July 2002) is a Malian college basketball player for the Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference (WCC).

Not to be confused with Oumar Ballo (football).
Oumar Ballo
No. 21 – Gonzaga Bulldogs
PositionCenter
LeagueWest Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2002-07-13) 13 July 2002
Koulikoro, Mali
NationalityMalian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeGonzaga (2020–present)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Mali
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
2019 GreeceTeam
FIBA Africa U18 Championship
2018 MaliTeam
FIBA Africa U16 Championship
2017 Mauritius

Early life and career

Ballo grew up in Koulikoro, Mali playing football as a goalkeeper but shifted his focus to basketball due to his exceptional height.[1][2] His mother and brother, who had moved to France at age 15 to play the latter sport, encouraged him to switch to basketball.[1] As a child, Ballo idolized National Basketball Association (NBA) player Shaquille O'Neal.[3]

High school career

When he was 11 years old, Ballo began training with coach Mohamed Diarra in his hometown, eventually earning an invitation from Canterbury Basketball Academy, a British private school in Las Palmas, Spain.[4] He enrolled as a full-time student, despite not knowing Spanish or English, and started practicing basketball three times per day.[1] In May 2017, Ballo was named most valuable player (MVP) of the Spanish Under-16 Championship after helping Canterbury finish in third place, behind bigger clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, and leading the tournament in rebounds.[1][5] In 2018, he averaged 15.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game at the Spanish Junior Championship, earning MVP honors.[6]

In October 2018, Ballo moved to NBA Academy Latin America, a training center in Mexico City sponsored by the NBA, CONADE, and Mexican Basketball Federation.[5][7] He missed a large portion of the 2018–19 season with an ankle injury.[8] In February 2019, Ballo played at the Basketball Without Borders camp at 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was one of the youngest participants.[9]

Recruiting

In 2019, Ballo reclassified from the 2020 recruiting class to the 2019 class and was subsequently rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports and a five-star recruit by Rivals.[10][11] On 23 February 2019, he verbally committed to Gonzaga over offers from Arizona and Baylor, among others.[12][9]

College career

On 28 October 2019, Ballo was ruled an academic redshirt for the 2019–20 season by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.[13]

National team career

Ballo played for Mali at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 African Championship in Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius. He averaged 14.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, winning the gold medal while making the tournament All-Star Five.[14] Playing for Mali at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina, Ballo averaged 20.6 points and a tournament-high 16.9 rebounds per game and was named to the All-Star Five.[15] On 7 July 2018, he recorded 32 points and a tournament-record 32 rebounds in a 110–108 triple overtime loss to the Dominican Republic.[16] Ballo won a gold medal with Mali at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 African Championship in Bamako, Mali. He averaged 8.5 points and six rebounds per game.[17]

Ballo competed at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, missing the first two games due to visa issues.[18][19] In five games, he averaged 17.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game, leading Mali to a silver medal, the best performance by an African team at a global basketball tournament.[19] Ballo was named to the All-Star Five with teammate Siriman Kanouté.[20]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Gonzaga
Redshirt

Personal life

Ballo's mother and father stand 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) and 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) respectively. His older brother, Drissa, who stands 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) and weighs 118 kg (260 lbs), plays professional basketball in France.[1]

References
  1. Givony, Jonathan (2 August 2017). "Mali's Oumar Ballo has a little Shaq and a lot of potential in his game". ESPN. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  2. "Basket-ball malien : Qui sont Oumar Ballo et Siraman Kanouté, les deux prodiges de l'équipe nationale cadette ?" (in French). Maliweb.net. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  3. ""Target" Ballo shooting for Quarters, inspire young Malians". FIBA. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  4. Weiss, Dick (23 February 2019). "Gonzaga adds African star Oumar Ballo to Class of 2019". BlueStar Media. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  5. "Oumar Ballo, perla formada en España, se va a la NBA Academy de América Latina" (in Spanish). Gigantes del Basket. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  6. Hidalgo, Luis (16 May 2018). "Te presentamos a Oumar Ballo: MVP del Campeonato de España junior… ¡con solo 15 años!" (in Spanish). Kia en Zona. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  7. "NBA Academy Latin America". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  8. Givony, Jonathan (12 February 2019). "International prospects to show skills during All-Star Weekend". ESPN. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  9. Givony, Jonathan (23 February 2019). "Oumar Ballo, 16-year-old Malian center, commits to Gonzaga". ESPN. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  10. Daniels, Evan (7 February 2019). "International star Oumar Ballo sets official visit to Gonzaga". 247Sports. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  11. "Oumar Ballo, 2019 Center". Rivals. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  12. Meehan, Jim (23 February 2019). "Mali center Oumar Ballo orally commits to Gonzaga". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  13. Meehan, Jim (28 October 2019). "Gonzaga freshman center Oumar Ballo ruled academic redshirt for 2019-20 season". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  14. "Mali coach Kane brings back historic U16 champions for U17 camp". FIBA. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  15. "USA's Jalen Green wins U17 World Cup MVP, tops All-Star Five". FIBA. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  16. "Mali big man Ballo shatters U17 World Cup rebound record by 10!". FIBA. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  17. "Oumar Ballo (MLI)'s profile". FIBA. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  18. Cassini, Andrea (29 June 2019). "FIBA U19 World Cup: 5 Underdogs To Keep An Eye On". Sporting News. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  19. "Does Mali have one more surprise left to capture U19 World Cup throne?". FIBA. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  20. Skerletic, Dario (7 July 2019). "Team USA beats Mali, claim the FIBA Under 19 Basketball World Cup 2019". Sportando. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
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