The former Hoosier is taking his talents to South Beach.
Former Indiana men’s basketball center Kel’el Ware was selected by the Miami Heat with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Ware spent one year with the Hoosiers’ program after transferring in from Oregon, where he’d arrived as a highly touted recruit. Various inconsistencies left him on the bench in Eugene, leading to his portal entry following a disappointing freshman season.
He was criticized for lacking motor at Oregon and came to Indiana in the hopes of disproving that narrative while making it to the NBA Draft. He averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for the Hoosiers, leading the team in the prior two categories.
Ware’s an athletic 7-footer who can finish lobs, protect the rim and hit a turnaround jumper here and there if he can’t go through an opponent with physicality. He also shot 42.5% from deep on low volume.
Indiana, under head coach Mike Woodson, has now sent two consecutive centers to the NBA in Trayce Jackson-Davis and Ware. It was likely a major selling point in the recruitment of Oumar Ballo, who joined the program during this past transfer portal cycle.