Indiana Basketball Player Report Card: Oumar Ballo

Oumar Ballo was brought to Indiana from Arizona to continue the line of excellent big men in the Mike Woodson coaching era. Ballo mostly delivered.

Indiana Hoosiers center Oumar Ballo (11) reacts after dunking against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at the Atlantis Resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As the Indiana offseason continues, and as new coach Darian DeVries tries to build a new roster for the Hoosiers, Hoosiers On SI will give out grades for individual players based on their performances in 2024-25.

We conclude the series with senior center Oumar Ballo.

Preseason Expectations

After Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kel’El Ware were the star players manning the middle for the Hoosiers in the previous two seasons, Indiana was on the hunt for its next dominant paint presence.

Ballo, who began his career at Gonzaga before playing three seasons at Arizona, was a bit different than Jackson-Davis or Ware.

A seven-footer, Ballo contrasted with the athletic Jackson-Davis and lanky and spry Ware in that he was a wider body. Listed at 260 pounds, the Koulikoro, Mali, native took up space in the lane in a way neither Jackson-Davis nor Ware did.

During his Arizona career, Ballo averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in relatively limited minutes. Ballo averaged 22.8 minutes per game for the Wildcats during his career.

Woodson and the Hoosiers got to see Ballo first hand when Indiana played Arizona in Las Vegas in December 2022. Ballo was one of several Arizona post players who out-produced Jackson-Davis as Ballo had 15 points and 12 rebounds in Arizona’s 89-75 win over the Hoosiers.

The big questions mark surrounding Ballo was whether he could play more minutes with the Hoosiers and how he was going to combine with power forward Malik Reneau to give Indiana a 1-2 punch. Or would Ballo and Reneau play separately from one another?

How The Season Went

Indiana's Oumar Ballo (11) shoots over Chattanooga's Collin Mulholland (21) during the Indiana versus Chattanooga men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2204. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It would be too much to stay Ballo struggled or thrived to start the season. Like so many of his teammates, he’d mix in a very good performance with a very average one. In the first six games of the season, Ballo had a 25-point effort against his former team Gonzaga, but also managed just seven points in a game against South Carolina.

Ballo got on the bad side of some Indiana fans with what was perceived as a low-energy effort on the defensive end. However, that was a bit unfair to Ballo. His mere presence in the lane prevented dribble penetration. He was a very good rim protector without having a mass of blocked shots to show for it.

Ballo became the center of a mini-controversy late in nonconference play when he missed a game against Winthrop. Rumors strongly suggested he was at a Bloomington bar the night before the game, but what was less repeated was that Ballo was unlikely to play anyway with a nagging injury. At a point in the season where Indiana fan nerves were frayed, it was an ill-timed distraction.

However, when Ballo returned as Big Ten play resumed against Rutgers, he had his finest stretch of the season. In January, Ballo averaged 17.2 points and 11.2 rebounds as he made 62% of his shots. On a team filled with inconsistent performers, Ballo was the one Hoosier who could be counted on from game-to-game and that won him over among some Hoosiers fans.

Ballo wasn’t as good in February and March, averaging 9.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, but he was still someone opponents had to account for. Ballo was most effective when rolling off of pick and rolls and the top of the key. When he got the ball in motion toward the basket, he was very difficult to stop. When he put the ball on the floor, he often stopped himself, drawing a double team that took away the advantage his big body gave him.

Player Grade

Feb 23, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers center Oumar Ballo (11) celebrates after a dunk during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Among the transfers who were brought into the Indiana program, it’s a good argument whether Ballo or Luke Goode came closest to the role envisioned of them.

Ballo passed the test of playing more minutes. He averaged 28.9 minutes, a career-best. His scoring average at 13 points per game was the second-best of his career, albeit with a higher minutes total.

Did Ballo and Reneau mix well? That’s a matter for argument. Many Indiana fans were convinced two bigs was a bad combination for the Hoosiers. Woodson seemed to give that credence when he got away from starting both players in the teeth of the Big Ten schedule.

However, it did work on occasion. When Woodson elected to use a 2-3 zone at Michigan State, Ballo and Reneau’s presence gave it potency. When both players were on the floor, Reneau tended to float out to the arc, so they were not in each other’s way as much as was perceived.

All of that is history now. Ballo gets a B-plus, because he basically delivered what was advertised coming in. He didn’t do more; he didn’t do less. But what he did do undeniably made the Hoosiers better than they would have been without him.

Grade: B+.

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