The Indiana basketball team missed out on the 2024 NCAA Tournament in a bit of a down year. Now, star center Kel'el Ware has decided to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft, per his Instagram page.
“Thank you Indiana. It has been a pleasure to wear cream and crimson and have an opportunity to play for the greatest fans in the world. I am so grateful for the experience. You have all welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to develop into the player I am.”
Ware also went on to thank the coaching staff, his teammates, and his family and posted a picture of him in Indiana gear with the words. “IU, thank you.”
Ware transferred from Oregon and saw his numbers increase big time as he was a massive part of the Indiana basketball team despite dealing with a few injuries during the season. Last year, the Indiana basketball program had two players, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis, selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, and now Ware enters with a lot of expectations.
Kel'el Ware opens up on decision to enter NBA Draft
Ware averaged just 6.6 PPG in 15 minutes at Oregon in the 2022-2023 season. Once he transferred, the former McDonald's All-American was expected to do big things for the Indiana basketball team. And he did just that. In 2023-2024, Ware averaged 16.1 PPG with 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game on a 59% clip from the field. He was a double-double machine, registering six in his final 10 games with the Hoosiers, including 28 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Michigan State on March 10.
Ware was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and second-team All-Big Ten after an impressive season. While it isn't entirely a surprise to see Kel'el Ware enter the NBA Draft, he spoke on his decision, per Travis Branham of 247Sports.
“In April of last year Coach Woodson and I sat in his office and he told me he was going to help me get to the next level, and if there is one thing we know about Woody, is that he is true to his word. I owe a lot to Coach Woodson and the entire coaching staff, Coach Yasir, Coach Kenya and Coach Brian.”
The decision to transfer to Indiana paid off well for Ware, especially with the emergence of Oregon Ducks big man N'Faly Dante. Ware projects as a first-round pick in some mock drafts and was projected to the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 26 overall in the latest by ESPN.
Ware made sure to give the Indiana basketball program a ton of credit for the success he had as he gets to chase his dream of playing in the NBA: “I will forever have a home in a Bloomington. It was an honor to compete in Assembly Hall and play in front of the IU faithful…I will forever have a home in a Bloomington,” added Ware. “It was an honor to compete in Assembly Hall and play in front of the IU faithful.”
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