IU basketball center Kel’el Ware selected at No. 15 by Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Draft

For the second straight year, IU basketball has had a player selected in the first round of NBA Draft. Tonight, former Hoosier center Kel’el Ware saw himself be selected in the first round at the No.15 by Miami Heat.

Ware is the third player during the Mike Woodson era to be drafted to NBA with Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis coming before him seeing their name called last year. He is the 28th player overall in history of the IU basketball program to be elected in the first round.

The Hoosiers rank second among Big Ten teams in first-round picks and are one of five conference schools with at least 20 first-round selections. Ware is the 8th player overall to come from the Indiana program.

He reportedly worked out with the Miami Heat, Portland Trailblazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and nearly 13 others prior to the NBA Draft.

The former IU basketball center had a terrific season in his lone year in Bloomington, averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 56.8 percent from the field on the season, with his play earning him a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team.

In Big Ten play alone, Ware averaged 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. He led the league in field goal percent at 63.2 percent shooting from the floor.

Ware, a former five-star, McDonald’s All-American, finished this season ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounds per game, third in rebound percent, fourth in player efficiency rating, fifth in blocks per game, sixth in block percentage, eighth in total box plus/minus and 11th in offensive rating.

IU basketball head coach Mike Woodson brought out the best in Kel’el Ware during his lone season for the Hoosiers

Syndication: The Herald-Times

Before opting to come play for Mike Woodson and IU basketball, 7-foot big man spent his freshman season playing for Oregon before entering the transfer portal after a very poor first year of college ball. During his lone season with the Ducks, he averaged just 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 15.8 minutes per game.

Mike Woodson was able to develop Kel’el Ware and get him back towards the top half of NBA Draft boards after his motor and overall love for the game was questioned during his rocky freshman season for Oregon.

“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 National Analyst Travis Branham this spring. “I owe a lot to Coach Woodson and the entire coaching staff, Coach Yasir, Coach Kenya and Coach Brian.”

“I was able to see coach Woodson helped him (Trayce Jackson-Davis) out,” Ware said at the NBA Combine. “And wanted to see what he could do for me. Everyday they pushed me to keep going to get out of my comfort zone and play through my mistakes. The whole coaching staff did. They allowed me to be comfortable on the court and like I said play through my mistakes.”

More: ‘They have a special place in my heart’: Kel’el Ware thankful for IU basketball, Mike Woodson for pushing him ‘out of comfort zone’

Ware had a real impressive showing at the NBA Draft combine this past month setting the record of finishing with the highest score of any center in the database of the NBA combine and earned a perfect score of 100.0. The record was previously held by Damian Jones. Ware also finished with a raw score of 81.1.

“I think he did (changed the narrative) — had a really nice season and answered a lot of questions coming from his Oregon days,” an NBA scout told HoosierIllustrated.com. “It was really nice to see him come out and play, produce and do so at a high level consistently.

“He figured out how to be on the court and stay consistent, not just with the flashy plays but doing all the little things to help the team win,” said the NBA scout. “ … I thought he did a nice job playing the game and doing the right things more often.”

With Kel’el Ware doing such a great job of addressing all the red flags that he came with before his lone season with IU basketball, he now has all the potential to be the biggest steal of the 2024 NBA Draft.

“(There’s) still more to prove,” Ware said at the end of IU basketball’s season this past year. “So I don’t feel like I’ve proven myself just yet.”

SEE ALSO: As Kel’el Ware takes the next step in his journey with the NBA Draft this week, he’s not ready to just check a box — ‘Still more to prove’

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