Indiana sophomore Kel’el Ware will enter his name in the 2024 NBA draft.
Travis Branham of 247Sports reported the news Tuesday morning.
A native of North Little Rock, Arkansas, the 7-foot center averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 assists for the Hoosiers during the 2023-24 season.
Ware was named to the Big Ten all-defensive team and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the media.
The 7-foot center, a 2022 McDonald’s All-American, transferred to Indiana last spring after a rocky first season at Oregon.
As a freshman for the Ducks, Ware started just four games and averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15.8 minutes per game.
Ware’s development at Indiana was one of the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing third season for Mike Woodson in Bloomington.
His numbers improved across the board at Indiana. Looking at his efficiency numbers on KenPom.com, Ware’s effective field goal percentage improved from 49.7 as a freshman to 61.2 as a sophomore.
On the defensive glass, his rebounding percentage grew from 21.9 to 26.1. He led the Big Ten in defensive rebounding percentage (28) and was fourth in block percentage (6.6).
Most early mock drafts for 2024 have Ware as a first-round pick. The deadline to declare for the 2024 NBA draft for underclassmen is midnight on Saturday, April 27. The deadline to withdraw from the draft is and return to school is May 29.
The NBA draft lottery will take place on Sunday, May 12 and the draft combine begins Monday, May 13 in Chicago.
Indiana had two players – Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis – selected in the 2023 NBA draft.
Filed to: Kel’el Ware
