Malian center Oumar Ballo is set to join RSSB Tigers ahead of the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs, Times Sport can reliably confirm. Ballo, 23, is expected to arrive in Kigali on Tuesday, May 12. The 2.13m center currently plays for Italian top-flight side Pallacanestro Cantù and is regarded as one of the continent’s top talents. In 2019, Ballo was ruled an academic redshirt for the 2019–20 season by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). During his freshman season, he averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, earning West Coast Conference (WCC) All-Freshman Team honors. After the season, Ballo transferred to Arizona to play under head coach Tommy Lloyd, who had previously recruited him to Gonzaga. As a sophomore, he averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He later enjoyed a breakout junior campaign, averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, performances that earned him First Team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Most Improved Player honors. Meanwhile, APR’s Osborne Shema has also been added to the Tigers’ final roster for the BAL playoffs, replacing Cadeaux Furaha, who was dropped from the squad following the Kalahari Conference. RSSB Tigers booked their place in the BAL playoffs — scheduled to take place in Kigali from May 22–31 — after an impressive showing during the Kalahari Conference group stage held in South Africa last month. The Rwandan side won four of their five games to finish top of the Kalahari Conference, ahead of continental heavyweights Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda. Following the group stage, several foreign players returned to their respective countries for a short break, but they have now started rejoining the squad in Rwanda ahead of the playoffs.
