By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Imagine the Hoosier basketball possibilities with Oumar Ballo dominating the paint. Coach Mike Woodson certainly does.
 
The addition of the 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo, perhaps the nation’s best transfer portal player after three dominating seasons at Arizona, should continue the big-man success Woodson has previously had with Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, Kel’el Ware, and Malik Reneau.
 
At Arizona, Ballo averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 64.6% from the field over his three seasons. He was twice named All-Pac-12 first team and to two all-conference defensive teams.
 
“He does a lot of nice things,” Woodson says. “He doesn’t have to have the ball a lot like I featured Trayce Jackson-Davis when he was here. He doesn’t have to have it a lot, but I’m going to utilize him. I’d be crazy not to.”
 
Ballo can handle the up-tempo style Woodson prefers.
 
“He runs the floor, and he creates space when he demands the ball,” Woodson says. “He blocks shots; he rebounds for his position.”
 
Ballo also wins. Including a season at Gonzaga, he has played in 112 victories in 132 college games. That’s huge for an IU team with title aspirations and top-20 projected rankings.
 
“He’s won,” Woodson says. “He’s been in a winning atmosphere in Arizona, and he’s produced. He’s had some good years; he’s an older guy that’s serious about winning. That was the whole thing that attracted me to him, and that’s why he’s wearing the uniform. He can help us, with his leadership, get to where I want to go, and that’s winning a Big Ten title and a national title.”
 
Ballo will make an imposing frontcourt with the 6-8 Reneau, who averaged 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds last season while shooting 55.8% from the field and ranking second on the team with 88 assists.
 
 “I think Ballo and Malik will be just fine (together),” Woodson says. “It might free Malik up more to do some things that I want him to do a little differently this year.
 
“They can both coexist. I thought Malik and Ware had a nice combination together this year.”
 
Ware set career highs in scoring (a team-leading 15.9 points), rebounds (9.9) and blocks (56) in his one IU season. He entered the NBA draft and was the overall No. 15 pick by the Miami Heat.
 
Don’t forget 6-8 sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who is coming off an outstanding Hoosier debut season.
 
He was named Big Ten co-freshman of the year and made the conference’s all-freshman team after leading all conference freshmen in scoring (12.2 points) and made free throws (92.). He was second in made 3-pointers (50), and third in rebounding (4.1), and minutes per game (27.1). He led IU in free throw shooting (82.1%) and finished with more assists (43) than turnovers (41).
 
He scored as many as 24 points (at Maryland) and grabbed at many as 12 rebounds (at Illinois).
 
After some early struggles while adjusting to the college game, Mgbako became a difference-making factor. He scored in double figures in 16 of his last 18 games, with three games of at least 20 points.
 
Woodson says Mgbako’s improvement stemmed from his work ethic. That needs to continue.
 
“Just keep working man. (The media) was down on him earlier (in the season) when he was struggling. It’s a process. You think, because the guy wears a five-star, four-star (ranking), that he can come into college and tear it up. It’s not that easy.
 
“It’s no different than going from college to the NBA. It’s a learning curve. I don’t (care) how good you are, you have to learn. It was an eye-opener for him because he did struggle early, but he kept working and working and working, and he got better. I can’t help but think he’s going to continue to get better.”
 
A big priority for Mgbako is improved shooting. He averaged 39.5% from the field overall, 32.7% from 3-point range.
 
“I have to push him,” Woodson says. “He’s been working his butt off this summer. He’s been all over the place. He’s been out in L.A. playing with a bunch of NBA guys and working on his craft there with people that we know, that can help him do some of the things that we already have taught him. I can’t help but think he’ll come back this year and make another step, which we need.”
 
Woodson used the transfer portal to also land guards Myles Rice (Washington State) and Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford), forward Luke Goode (Illinois), and center Langdon Hatton (Bellarmine). He also signed five-star freshman forward Bryson Tucker out of Maryland.
 
The result — IU’s newcomer class rates among the nation’s best.
 
The new players will join returning veteran guards Trey Galloway (still recovering from knee surgery), Anthony Leal, and Gabe Cupps, plus guard Jakai Newton, who missed last season with an injury.
 
It projects as, by far, Woodson’s most talented roster in four IU seasons. It should allow him to stretch the floor offensively as he did while coaching the NBA’s New York Knicks
 
“I haven’t been able to get there, and I think we can this year,” he says. “We can play smaller a little bit with (Mgbako) and Goode probably at some four, even the big fella the (6-10 Hatton). I’m going to try to play two bigs that we just test it and see.
 
“With Hatton, he can make threes, so I just have to wait and see. These eight weeks of summer play will shape where we are as a ballclub and give me some kind of indication going into next season.”