Indiana center Kel’el Ware is entering the 2024 NBA Draft, he announced on his Instagram page Tuesday morning.
The 7-foot center appears as a projected first round pick in most mock NBA Drafts.
“Thank you Indiana, it has been a pleasure to wear the cream and crimson and have an opportunity to play for the greatest fans in the world,” Ware said. “I am so grateful for the experience.”
Ware, a transfer from Oregon, was selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team by the media and Third Team by the coaches. He was also named to the All-Defensive Team. He is the fourth player in program history to be named to the All-Defensive Team, a team first formed following the 2005-06 season.
The North Little Rock, Ark., native averaged a team-best 16.1 points (11th in the Big Ten), 9.8 rebounds (2nd), and 1.9 blocks (5th) per game while shooting 59.9% (178-of-297) from the field and 44.7% (17-of-38) from behind the arc.
Ware posted a program-high 14 double-doubles, eight 20-point, 10-rebound games, 18 multi-block outings, and shot 65.0% or better on at least eight made buckets in 11 games.
Over the final seven games of the regular season, Ware averaged 20.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks on 69.2% (63-of-91) shooting from the floor. One of the most improved players in the country, he averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and shot 45.7% from the floor as a freshman.
In an article by 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham, Ware credited the IU staff for his improvement.
“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,” Ware told 247Sports. “I owe a lot to Coach Woodson and the entire coaching staff, Coach Yasir, Coach Kenya and Coach Brian.”
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