New Indiana center Kel’el Ware has already started his offseason work to improve heading into next basketball season.
Ware told DraftExpress he’s been working at Proactive Sports Performance in California for around a month, with a schedule routine built around working out and getting better. He said he’s working on his outside shooting and building strength.
“I’m just trying to work on my 3-pointer more, get that more effective, and just work on being stronger in the post,” Ware said. “(The trainers) want to see me be more dominant in the post, and be stronger with the ball whenever I catch it.”
Ware joined the Hoosiers this offseason out of the transfer portal after spending his freshman year at Oregon. He didn’t have as big a role as he’d hoped for, with just four starts in 34 games. The 7-foot center averaged 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range.
But Ware was one of the top recruits in the country a year ago, finishing as the No. 7 overall prospect in the class of 2022 in 247Sports Composite rankings.
As such a high-rated recruit, he was regarded as a plausible one-and-done player entering last season. And despite his freshman year not going according to plan, he still could have gone through the NBA Draft process and received feedback from pro scouts while maintaining his college eligibility.
But Ware chose to bypass that completely and focus on getting better for his sophomore year.
“Personally, I just feel like I needed to get stronger and needed another year of college just to develop my body more,” Ware said. “I’m excited to stay.”
That said, Ware does have NBA aspirations down the road. His skill set fits well with the role of big men in the modern game. He brings some pick-and-pop ability to go with his inside game, both post-up and passing, and pick-and-roll. He flashed all of that in spurts at Oregon, though he’ll want to continue improving and doing all of that with more consistency.
Ware’s professional dreams are part of what attracted him to Indiana and head coach Mike Woodson. He foresees a bigger role at IU, and values Woodson’s experience in the league.
“He has an NBA background, played in the NBA, coached in the NBA,” Ware said. “So I can learn from him and soak in everything he has to tell me.”
Ware joins a new-look IU frontcourt next season with Trayce Jackson-Davis gone, and he has a chance to be a significant factor in that position group. The Hoosiers return sophomores Malik Reneau and Kaleb Banks, and add junior Payton Sparks, fifth-year senior Anthony Walker, and freshman Mackenzie Mgbako. Not all of those forwards, however, would slot in at the five like Ware would.
The Hoosiers will have high hopes for next season after Xavier Johnson’s medical hardship waiver was approved, and after they landed a late-cycle high-profile recruit in Mgbako. Ware is among the people who like the new squad.
“I feel like we’ve got a great team,” Ware said. “I feel like we can make something happen, especially with the recruits that’s coming in now and the team that was there last year with X, (Trey) Galloway … I feel like we’re going to be great next year.”
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