In a transfer portal and NIL era of college basketball, Kel’el Ware chose Indiana based on ‘right fit’

Former Indiana basketball center Kel’el Ware became the 28th Hoosier to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when he was picked by the Miami Heat with the 15th overall pick on Wednesday.

Ware played just one season at Indiana, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He shot 58.6 percent from the field and had 15 double-doubles. He became the third IU player in the last 25 seasons to average at least 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in a single season (D.J. White, Trayce Jackson-Davis).

His journey was not a straight line, however. After a season at Oregon ended in disappointment, with averages of 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, he was looking for a fresh start. He looked to change the ‘lazy’ narrative that seemed to follow him, something the Miami Heat thought was ‘low-hanging fruit’.

“I think that’s a low hanging fruit description of him. Kel’el is not that,” Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon said. “He went to Oregon and was playing behind an established player, an older player. He played in every game out there. Saw a better situation for himself to go to Indiana and I don’t think — he showed what he can do and played with a motor and played with intensity (at Indiana). We are talking about a young player that has an edge to him and he doesn’t feel like that description of him — he has shown that he is going to come out and put points on the board, block shots, he rebounds — to me that doesn’t seem like a player that fits that (lazy) description.”

“Kel’el is the prototypical big man in today’s NBA,” Mike Woodsons said on Wednesday. “He can block shots at the rim, hold up defensively in the pick-and-roll, and is a great lob threat on the other end of the floor. He impressed me with his ability to catch and shoot the basketball at a high level and that is what the next level is looking for. He is a quiet kid that goes about his business in a professional way. He handled the adversity thrown his way to start his college career and responded in a big way for our ball club this season.”

Despite all of the ups-and-downs, Ware credits Indiana basketball for changing the trajectory of his career. And, when it came to his decision a little over a year ago, it was strictly about ‘fit’.

“A lot of people go into the transfer portal for money,” Ware said. “I went in there for the right fit and I found the right fit. That definitely helped my career. Going into my sophomore season, actually getting to know the coaches. Just learning more things about the team just before I made the decision.”

SEE ALSO: ‘It’s a great match’: Kel’el Ware finds new home with Miami Heat — a place that will ‘push me past my limits’

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