Kel'el Ware
No. 1 – Indiana Hoosiers
PositionCenter
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-04-20) April 20, 2004
Sherwood, Arkansas, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Little Rock
(North Little Rock, Arkansas)
College
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship
Gold medal – first place2022 MexicoTeam

Kel'el Ware (born April 20, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Oregon Ducks.

Early life and high school career

Ware grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas and attended North Little Rock High School.[1] As a junior, he averaged 16.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game. As a senior, Ware averaged 20.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game.[2] He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, Nike Hoop Summit, and the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[3][4][5]

Recruiting

Ware was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services.[6] On August 9, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Oregon over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Memphis, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.[7] Ware was also offered a two-year contract for $900,000 from Overtime Elite, but he declined offer and maintained his commitment to Oregon.[8]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kel'el Ware
C		 North Little Rock, AR North Little Rock (AR) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 9, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 7  247Sports: 7  ESPN: 8
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Oregon 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  • "2022 Oregon Ducks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.

College career

Ware entered his freshman season at Oregon as the Ducks' second center.[9] He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft.[10] After averaging 26 minutes played, 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks over the first nine games of the season, Ware saw a decline in playing time due to what Oregon's coaching staff believed to be an inconsistent work ethic.[11] He ultimately averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the season. At the end of the season, Ware entered the NCAA transfer portal.[12]

Ware ultimately transferred to Indiana.[13] He started at center in the Hoosiers' season-opener against Florida Gulf Coast and recorded the first double-double of his college career with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals as Indiana won 69–63.[14] Ware set a new career-high with 22 points scored while also grabbing 12 rebounds on November 16, 2023, in a 89–80 victory over Wright State.[15] He re-set his career-high in scoring with 28 points in a 89–76 win over Harvard.[16]

National team career

Ware played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[17] He was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks as the United States won the gold medal.[18]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Oregon 35415.8.457.273.7124.1.5.41.36.6

References

  1. ↑ Davenport, Richard (May 7, 2021). "THE RECRUITING GUY: Ware keeps motor running on high". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ Davenport, Richard (January 26, 2022). "UA signees, Ware get all-star invite". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ Streng, Nik (April 7, 2022). "Future Oregon Duck Kel'el Ware to play in Nike Hoop Summit". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Erick (March 29, 2022). "Arkansas connections galore at McDonald's game". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  5. ↑ Metzker, Graham (June 2, 2022). "Oregon Signee Kel'el Ware Named Finalist for USA Basketball U18 National Team". SI.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ Nemec, Andrew (January 19, 2022). "Updated rankings: Kel'el Ware, Oregon Ducks center signee, becomes consensus 5-star basketball prospect". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  7. ↑ Hansen, Chris (August 9, 2021). "Oregon Ducks land another 5-star recruit as 7–0 center Kel'el Ware commits". The Register Guard. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ Nemec, Andrew (September 1, 2021). "Kel'el Ware, Oregon Ducks 5-star center pledge, declines $900,000 offer from Overtime Elite, remains committed: Report". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ Prehm, Matt (November 9, 2022). "Dana Altman sees talent but also lots of room for improvement in newcomers Kel'el Ware, Keeshawn Barthelemy". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (November 2, 2022). "Newcomer Impact Rankings: Which men's college basketball freshmen, transfers will lead teams in 2022–23?". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ Crepea, James (March 27, 2023). "Oregon men's basketball center Kel'el Ware to enter transfer portal". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (March 27, 2023). "Oregon's Kel'el Ware, former top-10 recruit, to enter portal". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2023). "Oregon center Kel'el Ware transferring to Indiana". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Indiana basketball beats FGCU thanks to Kel'el Ware, Gabe Cupps debuts". Indianapolis Star. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Kel'el Ware came to IU with point to prove. He's playing like it, and Hoosiers need it". Indianapolis Star. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Career games for Ware and Mgbako lead Indiana past Harvard 89-76". ESPN. November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  17. ↑ Crepea, James (June 3, 2022). "Oregon signee Kel'el Ware to play for USA Basketball's U18 men's national team". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  18. ↑ Crepea, James (June 13, 2022). "Oregon signee Kel'el Ware, USA Basketball's U18 men's national team win gold at Americas Championship". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
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