BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For all of the criticism that Mike Woodson got when he was head coach at Indiana, there were undeniable success stories.
One of those stories was Indiana’s ability to produce NBA talent on Woodson’s watch. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Kel’El Ware all realized their professional dreams during the Woodson era.
Of that trio, Ware might be the greatest success story of all – at least as far as where he got to based on the perception of where he came from.
Ware transferred to Indiana from Oregon between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
A five-star recruit out of North Little Rock, Ark., Ware was a disappointment as a Duck. He averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and started just four games out of 35. Oregon coach Dana Altman even called his effort into question while Ware was in Eugene.
When Ware came to Indiana, there were naturally questions about his drive. Woodson made no promises as he took a wait-and-see attitude.
Whatever Woodson did behind the scenes had a positive effect on the 7-foot center. Ware was good right out of the chute for the Hoosiers.
In the first game of the 2023-24 season, Ware scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Florida Gulf Coast in a 69-63 Indiana win. It was the first of 15 double-doubles for Ware.
Ware also had three blocked shots in that first game. As a rim protector, Ware had few peers with his 7-foot-4 1/2 wingspan. In college basketball at the time, only Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan and Purdue’s Zach Edey exceeded Ware’s length. Ware had eight games with at least three blocks, including a season-high of five against Wisconsin.
In a season full of turmoil and inconsistency, Ware was a safe harbor.
Ware converted 58.6% from the field, a 13 percentage point improvement from his lone season at Oregon. He only shot below 50% 10 times and only once in the final 10 games of the season.
Ware finished the season averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. While Indiana failed to make the NCAA Tournament, Ware could hardly be blamed for that shortcoming.
Ware’s upward trajectory continued after he left Indiana. Ware averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Miami Heat. Most of his production occurred in the last half of the season when he became a starter. Ware was a second-team NBA All-Rookie selection and is a building block for Miami’s future.
While the overall experiment with Woodson didn’t work out for the Hoosiers, there were rays of light and Ware was one of them. He undeniably got better as a Hoosier.
Previous men’s basketball top 16 players of the 2020s
No. 4 – Jalen Hood-Schifino
No. 5 – Malik Reneau
No. 6 – Trey Galloway
No. 7 – Oumar Ballo
No. 8 – Mackenzie Mgbako
No. 9 – Al Durham
No. 10 – Miller Kopp
No. 11 – Xavier Johnson
No. 12 – Justin Smith
No. 13 – Rob Phinisee
No. 14 – Luke Goode
No. 15 – Devonte Green
No. 16 – Anthony Leal
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
