Arizona's international-heavy roster now has a French flair.
Paris combo guard Adama Bal committed to the Wildcats on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.Β Bal selected the UA over offers from Colorado, Cincinnati, Georgia, Marquette and St. Mary's, among others.Β
Citing his conversations with former Gonzaga players from France, the 6-foot-6-inch Bal's connection with Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was the ultimate deciding factor.Β
"Coach Tommy Lloyd and his staff were the key," Bal told ESPN. "He recruited me at Gonzaga and offered me the first day on the job at Arizona. He showed me how much he wanted me every step of the way. He has a tremendous track record of developing international prospects into NBA players. I was able to talk to Joel AyayiΒ and Ronny Turiaf, among others, who told me all the best about him."
Bal, 17, played for FranceΒ during its silver-medalist performance atΒ the U16 European Championship in 2019, and was most recently the starting point guard for CFBB in Paris, which plays in a third-tier division against professionals in France.
In 18 games for CFPP, Bal, who also has a 6-11 wingspan, averagedΒ 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27 minutes per game. CFBB Paris is the same club that produced former UA center Daniel Batcho, who has since announced he will transfer from Arizona.
Bal is the third international player to join Arizona since Lloyd was hired, joining Utah transfer guard Pelle Larsson (Sweden) and ex-Gonzaga center Oumar Ballo (Mali). Other international players on the UA's roster for 2021-22: Bennedict Mathurin (Canada), Azuolas Tubelis (Lithuania), Tautvilas Tubelis (Lithuania), Kerr Kriisa (Estonia) and Christian Koloko (Cameroon).Β
"Having three other French speakers and seven internationals will most definitely help. I think it's going to be a transition early on," Bal told ESPN. "I've already talked to Bennedict and Oumar a few times on the phone."
The addition of Bal also gives the Wildcats an option at point guard if they fail to land Phoenix five-star prospect TyTy Washington. Washington is set to pick his college this weekend, with Kentucky widely viewed as a favorite to land him.
As of now, potential ball handlers for the UA include Bal, Kriisa, Larsson and possibly Dalen Terry.Β
Arizona's updated roster
The Wildcats now have 10 players lined up for 2021-22. Here's a look:
Position/Name/Year/Height/Weight/Hometown
C/Oumar Ballo/So./7-0/260/Koulikoro, Mali
C/Christian Koloko/Jr./7-0/220/Douala, Cameroon
G/Kerr Kriisa/So./6-2/165/Tartu, Estonia
G/Adama Bal/Fr./6-6/180/Paris
G/Pelle Larsson/Fr./6-5/216/Nacka, Sweden
F/Bennedict Mathurin/So./6-6/195/Montreal
G/Shane Nowell/Fr./6-5/190/Bellevue, Washington
F/Dalen Terry/So./6-7/190/Phoenix
F/Azoulas Tubelis/So./6-10/240/Vilnius, Lithuania
F/Tautvilas Tubelis/So./6-7/210/Vilnius, Lithuania
