INDIANAPOLIS (USA) - Oumar Ballo rejoices when he gets to recall the thrilling summer of 2019 when he and the Mali national team made history by reaching the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019. Ballo went through the full gauntlet of emotions - ranging from torment to ecstasy. And in the end, he didn't want the summer to end.

By the summer of 2019, Mali had become somewhat of a regular on the world youth scene, having played at the 2017 U19 World Cup as well as the last FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups in 2016 and 2018.

Ballo actually played in the 2018 edition of the U17 World Cup, making the All-Star Five as he collected 20.6 points and 16.9 rebounds per game - ranking second and first, respectively in the tournament. Later that summer he played at the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2018 and contributed 8.5 points, 6.0 points and 1.5 blocks - despite not yet turning 16 years old.

The best-ever finish for an African team at a U19 World Cup before 2019 was 11th place - accomplished three times by Nigeria and twice by Egypt. And Ballo said most people thought Mali wouldn't be any different in Heraklion.

"We knew the kind of team that we had, so we knew we could go really far in that competition. So the expectation was really high. Knowing that nobody really counted on us gave us extra motivation to go prove to the world that we belong in that tournament," said Ballo.

The 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup started about two weeks before Ballo's 17th birthday. But the tournament started without him.

While the rest of the team was already in Heraklion, Ballo had to wait on packed bags back in Mali. The Mali players and staff had received their visas from the French embassy. But there was none for Ballo.

The federation frantically tried to get him permission to enter Greece, but by the time play started in Heraklion there was no resolution and Mali had to open play without their talented big man.

"My message to my teammates was: Even though I'm not in Greece right now, I'm still with you guys. I'm watching every game. I'm rooting for you. Don't play just for you guys, but play for me and the country."

Mali opened the tournament with a 93-79 win over Latvia and followed that with a 71-70 victory against Canada.

"Watching those first two games on TV was really hard because I knew that there were some moments that the team really needed me to be there. It hurt. It really did - knowing you couldn't help your nation."

This was, after all, a youngster who still was just 16 years old.

"It was really tough at that young age. All you want to do is hoop. But I always had an ambition. I had a goal that it didn't matter if I make it to the last game or however long it took."

Ballo said he tried to stay positive and also stay in shape, working out every day to be ready for when he could finally make the trip. Ballo's visa finally came through and he was able to get to Greece in time for the third game, which came after a day off.

With Ballo finally on board, Mali fell behind Australia by 14 points in the fourth quarter. But they raced back into the game and knotted it in the final minute. Mali allowed a three-pointer with 2-3 seconds left and then Siriman Kanoute was just off-target on a three-pointer at the final buzzer for an 82-79 loss.

"Siriman missed that shot, but I would take that chance any day when a good player like Siriman takes that kind of shot. He will make most of them," said Ballo, who contributed 20 points and 7 rebounds in his first game.

Ballo noted that the loss meant Mali finished third in Group B which meant they would avoid United States until the Final at the earliest.

"We played against France in the Semi-Finals instead of USA. Because of that loss we ended up being able to go to the Final. So it ended up not being a bad thing."

Mali were not fazed by the loss and beat New Zealand comfortably 77-62 in the Round of 16 and then had a big third quarter of 22-12 to beat Puerto Rico 84-74 in the Quarter-Finals. Both victories were historic as Mali became the first African country to reach the Quarters and then the Semi-Finals.

"After beating Latvia and Canada, people started knowing that this team is a really good team. We showed a fight all the way until the end against Australia. And from that point, we knew we had a really, really good chance. Nobody was really that much better than us," Ballo remembered.

"Our mentality was just: Let's go, let's put everything that we have out there because it's not like you wake up every day and have a chance like that. We were trying to maximize the opportunity."

Waiting in the Semi-Finals was France - a game that Ballo was really looking forward to because the French embassy was the reason he missed the first two games.

"I had a different mindset playing against France. This is going to be payback time. When it comes to sports you always want to represent your country. So that was the game I was looking forward to the most," he admitted.

Mali took control of the game in the second quarter and fought off France the rest of the way and ended up winning 76-73 with Ballo tallying 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Ballo and co. didn't have that much time to celebrate history as they were facing the mighty USA a night later in the biggest game of their lives.

"The championship game against U.S. was great. I wish that we were just a little bit deeper and had a little bit more of a rotation," Ballo said of Mali’s limited rotation of only seven players who played 17 minutes of more. "You play six, seven games and the legs start getting tired, and we were only playing like seven guys and that is not gonna get it done against a nation like USA when they’re playing 12 great players."

Mali played their hearts out in the first half and only trailed 42-40 at halftime. The Americans stormed out to a big third quarter of 31-15 and ended up winning 93-79.

"We were leading the whole first half and we ended up losing by two points in the first half. And then they started playing more guys and we were just playing six or seven guys. That was the big difference. They were mainly fresh off the bench and we were playing 30 to 35 minutes every single night."

In the end, Mali did not lose the gold medal but won the silver with an amazing run and an amazing result.

"Winning a silver medal in the World Cup when nobody expected you to even make it past the Round of 16 is a huge thing, It's never been done, not only for Mali, but no team in Africa has ever done that. And I'm really proud of that run," said Ballo, who finished with 17.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.8 blocks to garner a spot on the All-Star Five along with his point guard running mate Kanoute.

Ballo enjoyed reflecting on those unforgettable moments back in 2019.

"I'm still really good friends with all those teammates. We became like a family. We see each other every single year. And we have our group chat. It's an experience that we cannot forget," he said.

Ballo and his teammates received a big welcome party when they returned to Mali after the tournament.

"Everybody was happy. It was super, super nice seeing the whole nation behind us, rooting for us. It was amazing. I still remember that day. It was a blessing."

Despite all those amazing moments in Heraklion on and off the court, Ballo’s favorite memory of the tournament didn't even take place at the tournament. It came when he and the team were back home in Mali.

"We came back to Mali, and we could have all gone home. But the team stayed in a hotel for a few days, almost a week. Everybody was still there, just bonding and celebrating, knowing that we'd done something that has never been done before. And sharing those special moments," he said.

"It means a lot. It's not only about basketball. It’s more than that. That shows the kind of family that we created in 2019. Usually after a tournament everybody goes home the same day but we stayed together for like a whole week in the hotel just enjoying the moment."

Oumar Ballo and his teammates just didn’t want the moment to end.

FIBA