The latest wave of college basketball free agency to hit McKale Center has swept out one of the most popular Arizona Wildcats in recent decades.
Two-time all-Pac-12 center Oumar Ballo announced Monday he is transferring to spend a fifth season of eligibility elsewhere, while redshirting center Dylan Anderson and walk-on guard Grant Weitman are also reportedly on the way out.
None of the moves comes as a huge surprise, though Anderson had expressed satisfaction about his work behind the scenes this season and told the Star last month that “next year you guys are going to see what I did this year.”
Ballo and Weitman both went through UA’s Senior Day ceremonies and have been noncommittal about their future, while UA coach Tommy Lloyd said in late February that Weitman indicated a desire to use his final season of eligibility where he could play more.
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The departures of Ballo and Anderson open the door for freshman center Motiejus Krivas to start next season after showing considerable promise as a backup to Ballo. The Wildcats will also return another 7-footer, Estonian sophomore Henri Veesaar, who sat out as a redshirt this season after injuring his elbow in an October golf cart accident.
Possibly because Ballo's departure allows a natural progression for UA's younger big men — and gives himself a chance to secure a lucrative NIL deal elsewhere next season — there are believed to be no hard feelings between the UA staff and Ballo.
"I am beyond grateful for my time at Arizona and for Wildcat Nation and the community of Tucson for embracing me into this family," Ballo posted to Instagram. "Tucson and all the amazing people here will always hold a special place in my heart. With that being said, I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a graduate student for my final year of eligibility."
A college student since 2019, Ballo redshirted at Gonzaga in 2019-20 and played sparingly for the Zags as a redshirt freshman during the "COVID" season of 2020-21, allowing him to have an extra year of eligibility.
Ballo developed a particularly close relationship with Lloyd, who recruited Ballo to Gonzaga out of his native Mali and the NBA Academy Latin America.
After Ballo spent two seasons in Spokane, Lloyd left his role as a Gonzaga assistant to take over the Wildcats in April 2021, and Ballo transferred to Arizona to follow him. Ballo spent his sophomore season in 2021-22 backing up NBA Draft pick Christian Koloko, then developed into an all-Pac-12 first-team pick as a junior in 2022-23 and as a senior 2023-24.
“I’ve always felt like I’m responsible for Oumar," Lloyd said late this season. “Imagine him coming all the way over here, goes to Gonzaga, he’s some big-time recruit, and struggled. He struggled, and we were really good. There wasn’t a spot for him to play, and he got in a funk.
“There were certain people telling me that I shouldn’t bring him down here when I got the job. I didn’t even consider that. I was like, ‘Oumar is my responsibility. I don’t know if he’s gonna make it or not make it, but I know this: If he fails, it’s going to be on my watch.’ ”
Although he became an Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year at Gilbert Perry High School, Anderson spent most of his Wildcats career behind closed doors. He played in just 15 games as a freshman and then opted to redshirt this season, with his opportunities for playing time appearing limited again.
Neither Anderson nor Weitman posted a confirmation of their plans but Anderson told On3 he planned to enter the transfer portal. Verbal Commits, meanwhile, reported Monday morning that Weitman had entered the portal.
Weitman said before starting UA's Senior Day game against Oregon on March 2 that he wasn't sure if he would use his extra "COVID" season of eligibility to transfer elsewhere, but Lloyd said he expected Weitman would leave. Both Ballo and Weitman are on track to graduate next month.
“To be honest with you, the conversations Grant and I have had is he has one year to play, and he wants to go play somewhere next year,” Lloyd said on his radio show in late February. “He’s a really good player and helps us in practice so much. He’s physical. He’s aggressive. He’s gotten to a point where he can make shots. He takes pride making hard shots and get our guys all frustrated.
“It’s been great to watch him kind of grow up as a young man in my three years here. I have a ton of fun being around him.”
The grandson of a close friend to former UA coach Lute Olson, Weitman helped lead Salpointe Catholic High School to the Arizona Class 4A title in 2020. He then joined the Wildcats under then-coach Sean Miller in 2020-21 and stayed through the first three seasons of Lloyd's tenure, playing in 45 games during his UA career.
“Obviously being from Tucson, it was a dream of mine to come here and be able to do it," Weitman said before UA's Senior Day game. "Time flew by really fast, but I’ve loved every minute of being here."
Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at bpascoe@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @brucepascoe