Less than three years after transferring from Arizona to Santa Clara, French wing Adama Bal found himself in the NBA.
Former UA forward Sidi Gueye will start off on the same path. Draft Express reported earlier this week that Gueye will transfer to Santa Clara, where Bal went in 2023 after playing a deep reserve role for the Wildcats over two seasons.
Arizona forward Sidi Gueye (15) tries to keep his grip on the ball while dealing with pressure from Texas Tech forward JT Toppin (15) in the second half of their Big 12 game, Feb. 14, 2026, in Tucson.
Bal went on to become an all-WCC pick over the previous two seasons, then spent this season in the G League and finished up with Memphis while signing two 10-day NBA contracts.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Adama Bal and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) in the second half of a game April 8, 2026, in Denver.
Gueye, a 6-11 forward from Senegal, played a similarly small role at Arizona over only one season. He arrived at Arizona with long-term potential last fall, but played briefly in just 26 games this season and became the first Wildcat to exit the program after the season.
Gueye averaged 1.3 points and 0.8 rebounds while playing an average of 3.4 minutes, though he totaled 23 minutes over the four February games when Arizona was shorthanded in its front court because of an injury to forward Koa Peat and an illness to forward Dwayne Aristode.
People are also reading…
Having missed UA's summertime training program because visa issues kept him in Spain, where he had been playing for Real Madrid's junior club, Gueye was considered a redshirt candidate entering the regular season. He wound up playing sparingly in 10 nonconference games and didn't play significant minutes until the Wildcats needed him to in late February.
Holt signs UA paperwork
Arizona has officially added five-star guard Caleb Holt to its 2026-27 roster, announcing his signing earlier this week.
Expected to replace Brayden Burries in the Wildcats' starting lineup next season, Holt announced last month that he had picked Arizona over Alabama, Kentucky, Houston and Providence.
Holt, who starred in both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Hoop Summit over the past month, played for UA coach Tommy Lloyd on the USA Basketball team that won the FIBA U19 World Cup last summer in Switzerland.
Prolific Prep Caleb Holt (2) in action against Dynamic Prep during a high school basketball game at the Hoophall Classic, Jan. 19, 2026, in Springfield, MA.
Ranked No. 4 in 247’s latest player rankings, Holt averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 63.6% (52.0% from 3-point range) over USA’s seven-game romp to the gold medal in Switzerland. Holt played with UA forward Koa Peat both on the U19 team and on the U17 World Cup last summer, winning gold both times.
Burries and Bradley win 'CATSYS'
Arizona's Jaden Bradley makes a game-winning basket over Iowa State's Killyan Toure at the buzzer to defeat the Cyclones during the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament on March 13 in Kansas City, Mo.
Senior guard Jaden Bradley's buzzer-beating 17-footer against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals was named the "men's highlight of the year" in Arizona's department-wide "CATSYS" award show Monday night.
Freshman guard Brayden Burries, meanwhile, was named men's newcomer of the year while the UA men's basketball team was given the award for "team performance of the year" after reaching its first Final Four since 2001.
Among other awards, Arizona triathlete Kelly Wetteland was given the award for "women's highlight of the year," while softball player Sereniti Trice was named women's newcomer of the year.
UA quarterback Noah Fifita was given the "Sapphire Award" as UA's top male student-athlete, while softball player Sydney Stewart was given the "Ruby Award" as UA's top female student-athlete.
Arizona's Tommy Lloyd aiming for consistent success on a fast-changing playing field
