Bear Down Wildcats

Would love to see him match up against Zach Eady. It would be a challenge, but I think he'd do great.

Ballo is more athletic than Edey. We also have other bigs to put pressure on their frontcourt. I love how we’d match up with Purdue. Bring ‘em on.

U.P. Zona Fan wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 4:15 pm Would love to see him match up against Zach Eady. It would be a challenge, but I think he'd do great.

Ballo has a chance with those long arms…anyone know what his reach is?

His wingspan is 7'6", so +6 or so depending on his real height.

I said before that we have a special communications team covering men's and women's basketball.

It's amazing how well Ballo has worked out at AZ. He's exceeded my expectations and then some. Just a good dude and a heck of a player.

I was a bit critical of him the last week or so but had forgotten about his illness. Last game against California he started to look like his old self. Hope the improvement continues. Good dude!!

You can tell he lost some weight from that illness. He’s getting pushed off the block more the last few weeks than he ever has.

All's I'll say is that I'm stoked we've got a guy like Ballo in the starting lineup for March. He will be a PROBLEM for smaller teams.

An old friend from Tucson told me that Oumar’s infection has caused more hospital trips, and is now chronic.

I’ve neither heard nor read this anywhere - does anyone have any light to shed on this?

Oh man, that sucks!!! Forget playing him, we need him better, hold him out all weekend if we have to. I don't have any idea what is going on, but have had people I know get infections that are stubborn in joints, usually after surgery, man it hcan be hell on them for months.

Prayers for Oumar.

Yeah. As much as it's gonna suck to be down a starter this week, we need OB at his best in two weeks. The league race is already decided. Just playing for tourney seed at this point, and I'm not sure there's really that much difference between a 2 and a 3.

84Cat wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:26 pm

Was anyone outside of North Guadalupe accusing him of faking?

https://apnews.com/article/arizona-bask ... a643093663

No. 8 Arizona’s Ballo finds balance in basketball and life

By JOHN MARSHALL

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Oumar Ballo always had the power to bull through smaller opponents, his 7-foot, 260-pound frame pretty much ensuring every opponent was smaller.

What the Arizona center needed was a better way to pull back on the reins; when you’re that big, changing directions can take a little longer.

That’s where balance enters into the picture.

Working with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and his staff over the summer, Ballo added balance to his brute strength, combining with Azuolas Tubelis to give the No. 8 Wildcats’ one of the nation’s best frontcourts.

“I think that balance for him is everything,” Arizona associate head coach Jack Murphy said. “Coach Lloyd always uses the term not getting in front of his skis and when he stays on balance, he’s really hard to stop.”

As Ballo has found equilibrium on the basketball court, he’s also found balance in a journey that took him from West Africa to the Arizona desert.

Born in Mali, Ballo was an accomplished soccer player before he literally outgrew the sport. The large, athletic kid began attracting attention across the basketball world and, at 14, made the difficult decision to leave home to attend an academy in the Canary Islands.

“It was hard leaving your family when you’re that young, coming to another whole continent where you don’t speak any of the language,” Ballo said. “It was not easy. I missed my family, but at the end of the day, I had a goal and I needed to look at the bigger picture.”

Ballo’s goal was to play in the NBA, so when FC Barcelona Basquet of the EuroLeague offered him a contract, he opted instead to play at the NBA Academy Latin America. Ballo generated more attention in Mexico City, this time from American college coaches, and ended up getting a scholarship offer to play at Gonzaga.

Ballo’s athleticism and size were a huge upside, yet he was still raw during his time in Spokane, Washington. He redshirted as a freshman and saw limited time during Gonzaga’s run to the 2021 national championship game.

When Lloyd, a longtime assistant under Mark Few at Gonzaga, got the job in Tucson two years ago, Ballo followed.

It was a bit of an adjustment.

“He was a beast in the low block, but he couldn’t get up and down the court three times,” Murphy said.

Playing behind fellow 7-footer Christian Koloko last season, Ballo averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds on a team that reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

With Koloko off to the NBA, Ballo spent the summer working on his body, lifting weights, doing extra cardio and boxing. It paid dividends with a leaner, stronger body that allowed him to withstand the rigors of playing in the paint and handle Lloyd’s demands that his big men get out and run.

Ballo was named MVP of the Maui Invitational and is averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 65% from the floor on a team ranked eighth in the country. He and Tubelis also have become the nation’s best big-man running tandem, a pair of locomotives chugging down the track right to the rim.

“Ballo is a beast,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said after Ballo had 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a win over the Buffaloes on Feb. 18.

A beast with balance and patience.

When Ballo was younger, he could bull right through opponents to get easy baskets. That method didn’t work quite as well when he started playing against the bigger, stronger players in American college basketball.

Working with Arizona’s coaches, Ballo not only got stronger, but improved his footwork through extra repetitions in offseason workouts and individual sessions after practices. The strength and better footwork naturally gave him added balance, enhanced little things like learning to not rock back on his heels or tip his head back.

The added balance keeps Ballo from being knocked off his spot by smaller players and maneuver more gracefully through the inevitable traffic surrounding him in the lane. Balance also gives him better body control, a steadier base to explode to the basket and the ability to survey double teams while backing his man down.

“The skill, the hands, a lot of that stuff was there at the surface, but he’s putting in a lot of work to bring it out,” Murphy said.

Balance on the court, balance in life.

Postmaster wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:36 pm Was anyone outside of North Guadalupe accusing him of faking?

I thought he was faking then, and not sure this knee injury was related. Just seems awfully coincidental that he is hurt so bad he can't shoot free throws, then after Ced makes them, he comes back in. Thought it was karma that Ballo blew it end of game by making that FT.

Merkin wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:44 pm Thought it was karma that Ballo blew it end of game by making that FT.

What a crock!! He was never instructed to miss that shot according to the coach, and should never intentionally miss a shot on his own accord!!

I believe he is struggling at the line, but trying to make them all!!

Jeesh!!!

Throwing shade at our own players is a bummer!!

Statements about our guys faking injuries is such bullshit. The fact is that athletes get injured and sometimes pain ebbs and flows-especially nagging injuries mixed with adrenaline and emotion.

Carcassdragger wrote: ↑Fri Mar 03, 2023 10:11 am Statements about our guys faking injuries is such bullshit. The fact is that athletes get injured and sometimes pain ebbs and flows-especially nagging injuries mixed with adrenaline and emotion.

When someone makes an accusation like that about one of our players, it's time for a three sequence response:

"STFU!!"

<<wink, wink>>

"BTFD!!!!"

Any word on his status?

Have we seen the two fingers together?

I'm stoked that he's going to play, but also...f***! A broken hand needs a while to heal.

Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:49 pm I'm stoked that he's going to play, but also...f***! A broken hand needs a while to heal.

Derrick Williams played half a season with a broken shooting hand. If Justin Kokoskie is going to let him play, Ballo must be good to go.

CardiacCats97 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:55 pm

Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:49 pm I'm stoked that he's going to play, but also...f***! A broken hand needs a while to heal.

Derrick Williams played half a season with a broken shooting hand. If Justin Kokoskie is going to let him play, Ballo must be good to go.

Thanks, CC! That's reassuring!

Oumar talks about his hand

His breakout season was derailed by the infection and now a broken hand and he gives no excuses and won't miss a second of game action. Love this kid.

I didn't know it was an issue. Not like he is NBA ready since he really can't guard anyone exceptionally athletic, along with being unable to protect the rim.

Being NBA ready doesn’t seem to matter for a lot of guys.

Disappointing

RondaeShimmy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 9:54 am Disappointing

Eh, seems premature to make one game on a summer tour mean anything.

CardiacCats97 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 10:23 am

RondaeShimmy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 9:54 am Disappointing

Eh, seems premature to make one game on a summer tour mean anything.

Only if he gets off his ass and gets way better.

CardiacCats97 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 10:23 am

RondaeShimmy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 9:54 am Disappointing

Eh, seems premature to make one game on a summer tour mean anything.

He's way "bigger" to be politically correct and looks slow and his footwork is a huge casualty.

Imo he's been regressing and disappointing for the most part since leaving Maui last year where he looked like a national AA

RondaeShimmy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 10:29 am

CardiacCats97 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 10:23 am

RondaeShimmy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 9:54 am Disappointing

Eh, seems premature to make one game on a summer tour mean anything.

He's way "bigger" to be politically correct and looks slow and his footwork is a huge casualty.

Imo he's been regressing and disappointing for the most part since leaving Maui last year where he looked like a national AA

I hear you, and largely seeing the same. My hope is that the coaches are in his ear. They want to get out and run and can’t do that if our C is carrying around a ships anchor.

Thankfully Krivas is really good

CardiacCats97 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 10:23 am

RondaeShimmy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 9:54 am Disappointing

Eh, seems premature to make one game on a summer tour mean anything.

Are you new here? It's what we do

A bit surprised our S&C coaches let him get so far out of shape. He needs to shed 20-30 pounds at least.

I hope he gets that under control for his post basketball life so he can be healthy

Holy fuck these awful takes

IT IS FUCKING PRACTICE AND THE FUCKING SUMMER

Let the kid live his life. He owes nothing to anyone. Maybe he had family stuff going on. Or other personal situations. Or anything

AGAIN IT IS FUCKING PRACTICE

But if crying about it on X and here makes you feel better go right ahead

Eh it's practice in August. The season is 2 months away and we have one of the best S&C teams in the country. I wouldn't worry about it.

I, for one, much prefer analysis/criticism of players' performances, even in early practice games, to ANY discussion of conference realignment...

... bring it on - that is what we're here for, after all.

PHXCATS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 11:14 am Holy fuck these awful takes

IT IS FUCKING PRACTICE AND THE FUCKING SUMMER

Let the kid live his life. He owes nothing to anyone. Maybe he had family stuff going on. Or other personal situations. Or anything

AGAIN IT IS FUCKING PRACTICE

But if crying about it on X and here makes you feel better go right ahead

I love how chapped your ass gets.

If Ballo's work either or conditioning was a concern, the coaches would not have played him. He played. Absolutely nothing to worry about

PHXCATS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 11:26 am If Ballo's work either or conditioning was a concern, the coaches would not have played him. He played. Absolutely nothing to worry about

This is like your fifth post about something you’re saying is nothing to worry about.

PHXCATS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 11:14 am Holy fuck these awful takes

IT IS FUCKING PRACTICE AND THE FUCKING SUMMER

Let the kid live his life. He owes nothing to anyone. Maybe he had family stuff going on. Or other personal situations. Or anything

AGAIN IT IS FUCKING PRACTICE

But if crying about it on X and here makes you feel better go right ahead

OK, if you insist: HE'S DONE FOR! DONE FOR!!

Not sure why this has PCats so upset? These are high level athletes, not kids who get a participation medal.

It had nothing to do with his play in general but more to do with how he ran the floor and labored overall. It was very apparent he was a bit overweight to most of us.

I am sure he will be ready for the season but many prior to last year wondered if he could run at the level that a Lloyd offense requires. Looks like that same question will be there this year

Because it makes our fanbase look like shit complaining about this stuff in general but especially in summer

And the players have noticed how toxic our fanbase is and have said as such.

PHXCATS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 2:00 pm Because it makes our fanbase look like shit complaining about this stuff in general but especially in summer

And the players have noticed how toxic our fanbase is and have said as such.

You and Hep Cronin should sit together in Vegas and complain about our fans.