'An Extremely Gifted Player': Kel'el Ware Joins Indiana Basketball

Indiana officially announced the addition of Kel'el Ware to the men's basketball program on Friday, with coach Mike Woodson calling the 7-foot transfer from Oregon, "an extremely gifted player who will bring a lot to our program."

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Woodson made a splash in the transfer portal this week, landing Kel'el Ware, a 7-footer from Oregon with three years of remaining eligibility.

Ware announced his decision to become a Hoosier on Monday, and Woodson shared his thoughts on the newest addition to the 2023-24 team on Friday.

“Kel’el is an extremely gifted player who will bring a lot to our program," Woodson said in a release. "He is a tremendous athlete whose skill level in all facets of the game will make us better. He’s a rim protector with great size and length, he runs the floor so well, he can shoot and he’s someone who competed and won at a high level in high school. We welcome he and his family to Bloomington and to Hoosier Nation.”

Ware first committed to Oregon as a consensus five-star recruit. He was ranked No. 6 by 247Sports, No. 7 by Rivals and No. 8 in the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2022.

As a freshman under coach Dana Altman, Ware averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes of action per game and led the Ducks with 45 blocks. He shot 53.4 percent on 2-point attempts, made 15-of-55 3-point shots and converted 71.2 percent of free throws.

Ware started four games during non-conference play, playing over 34 minutes against Michigan State and Villanova, but he came off the bench and did not play more than 19 minutes in any game when the calendar turned to 2023.

Ware had a strong start to his freshman year, but his playing time and production decreased as the season went on. He scored 18 points with nine rebounds against the eventual national champion UConn Huskies on Nov. 24. Two days later, Ware scored 17 points with nine rebounds against Michigan State, followed by 13 points and seven rebounds against Villanova.

Prior to Oregon, Ware led North Little Rock High School to back-to-back Arkansas state championships and was the 2021 state tournament MVP. As a senior, he averaged 21.2 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.7 blocks for coach Johnny Rice. 

Ware participated in the McDonald's All-American, where he scored eight points with a team-high 10 rebounds. He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic with current Indiana forward Malik Reneau and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jalen Hood-Schifino, who recently declared for the NBA Draft. Ware was selected to play in the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship and the 2022 USA Nike Hoop Summit.

As of Friday, Indiana has three available scholarships if Xavier Johnson's medical hardship waiver is approved.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• BIG TEN TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: Welcome to our Big Ten men's basketball transfer portal tracker, where we'll keep you updated on the latest incoming and outgoing transfer news for all 14 Big Ten teams this offseason. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA MEETS WITH KNECHT: Indiana has a Zoom call scheduled with Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht, who averaged 20.2 points on 38.1 percent 3-point shooting in 2022-23. CLICK HERE
• DUNCOMB TRANSFERS TO XAVIER: Logan Duncomb is transferring to his home state to play for Xavier and coach Sean Miller after two seasons at Indiana. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA IN TOP SIX FOR DELOACH: Jalen DeLoach, a 6-foot-9 forward, announced Indiana, Florida State, San Diego State, VCU, Miami (FL) and Penn State as his top six potential transfer destinations. CLICK HERE
• SPARKS COMMITS TO INDIANA: Indiana's first addition through the transfer portal is 6-foot-9 center Payton Sparks, who averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for Ball State this season. CLICK HERE
• TAMAR BATES TRANSFERRING: Indiana sophomore guard Tamar Bates entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. He averaged 6.1 points and shot 37.4 percent from 3-point range. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA VISITS WITH JAMISON BATTLE: Jamison Battle, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 15.1 points across two seasons at Minnesota. Indiana coaches Mike Woodson and Brian Walsh have an in-home visit scheduled with Battle on Tuesday. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA MEETS WITH KADIN SHEDRICK: Indiana basketball is scheduled to meet with Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick, who averaged 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks this year. CLICK HERE
• IU MEETS WITH CHRIS LEDLUM: After averaging 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds this season, Harvard Chris Ledlum is planning to meet with Indiana on Thursday. CLICK HERE
• IU MEETS WITH NICK TIMBERLAKE: After averaging 17.7 points on 41.6 percent 3-point shooting this season, Towson guard transfer Nick Timberlake plans to meet with Indiana coach Mike Woodson on Thursday. CLICK HERE
• MAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED FOR IU: With graduating seniors, NBA Draft potential and the transfer portal, Indiana's roster will look much different in year three under coach Mike Woodson. CLICK HERE