Tag: Kel’el Ware

Looking at a potential best-case lineup for Texas basketball next year

Texas could be primed for a massive portal haul. We project a possible lineup for the team.

The Texas Longhorns basketball program could be one player away from a trip back to the Elite Eight. What if I told you that player is a portal transfer from Northern Colorado?

On Thursday night, we learned that Texas had contacted 6-foot-6 Northern Colorado guard Dalton Knecht and shared their interest in bringing over the athletic talent.

Knecht averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds over the last season. He commands a list of suitors that includes Texas, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and UCLA.

The largely unknown talent scores in a handful of ways. Knecht connects on step back long range baskets like former BYU star Jimmer Fredette and throws down highlight dunks like Mac McClung. And while it’s often unlikely that a team is one transfer away from contention, the mid-major star might fit that billing for Texas.

Here’s a look at a potential best-case lineup for Texas.

247Sports names Florida as a potential fit for top men’s basketball player in transfer portal

Replacing Colin Castleton is no easy task, but a recent addition to the transfer portal might be just what Todd Golden needs to continue rebuilding the Florida men’s basketball program.

One of the bright spots for Florida’s men’s basketball team was the emergence of [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] as the Gators’ best player. But with the fifth-year senior’s college career coming to an end, head coach Todd Golden will need to replace his output. Luckily for Florida, one of the best players in the transfer portal could slide right into Golden’s rotation.

[autotag]Kel’el Ware[/autotag], the No. 7 overall player in the 2022 247Sports composite, has entered the transfer portal after just one season at Oregon. Despite playing just under 16 minutes per game, Ware was able to average 16.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and 1.3 assists per 40 minutes. The incredibly efficient seven-footer is from North Little Rock, Arkansas, and would be much closer to home in Gainesville than he was in Oregon.

Here is what 247Sports’ Isaac Trotter had to say about Ware’s potential fit with the Gators:

Replacing Colin Castleton is one of the biggest objectives of the offseason for Florida coach Todd Golden and the rest of the Gators staff. Florida was a major player for some of the top talent in the transfer portal last offseason, and Golden can sell Castleton’s success in his scheme. Ware’s path to a featured role and a huge usage rate is easy to project at Florida, but questions about if the Gators can win big in 2023-24 remain.

Ware was never expected to remain at Oregon for four years, but entering the transfer portal came as a surprise to most, with the 210-pound center expected to declare for the 2023 NBA draft. His size, length, and athleticism allow him to guard all five positions. Paired with his ability to create his own offense in the mid-and-low post and his three-point shooting, he has the potential to be a lottery pick in the 2024 draft.

In addition to the Gators, the other teams that 247Sports sees as a potential fit for Ware are Gonzaga, Arizona, Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, Duke and Kansas.

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Kel’el Ware listed as No. 1 player available in transfer portal

To nobodies surprise, former Duck Kel’el Ware is the top available player in the transfer portal so far.

It has come as no surprise to see that former Oregon Ducks center Kel’el Ware has become a hot commodity since entering the transfer portal and announcing that he is looking for a new team going into his sophomore season.

As a former 5-star recruit and the No. 7 ranked player in the 2022 class, there was an early belief that Ware was going to be a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, taken somewhere within the first 14 picks. Some disappointing play as a freshman caused his draft stock to fall, and a poor fit in Eugene made it no surprise that he would leave the team via the portal after one year.

Now on the open market, Ware has his fair share of suitors lined up, trying to get him to come to their town.

Here is how he stacks up against the rest of the top 10 in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings:

Five ‘splash signings’ the Aggies can make in the transfer portal

With nearly every starter expected to return next season, there are still holes in Texas A&M’s roster, and the transfer portal presents plenty of intriguing options

Texas A&M finished off the 2022-2023 season with a memorable 25-10 record, a 15-3 finish in the SEC, a second consecutive appearance in the SEC Tournament Championship game, and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2017.

Even though the Aggies fell to Penn State in the opening round of the tournament, Head coach Buzz Williams has continued to check boxes in his last two seasons, and the program has not been in better shape since he arrived in 2019.

From a roster perspective, three starters including Henry Coleman III, Julius Marble, and Wade Taylor IV, are slated to return, former Wichita State transfer Dexter Dennis will depart after one incredible season with the maroon and white, and his defensive presence will be sorely missed. Senior guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford also has the opportunity to return for a final season, yet his decision is still in flux, opening up a starting spot in the backcourt in need of added depth no matter how his decision plays out.

Referring back to Aggies Wire writer Pete Hernandez’s article detailing who Texas A&M should target in the transfer portal, perimeter shooting and an athletic wing defenders made up a majority of the list, and man oh man, are there some fascinating options in one of the more talented portals in quite some time.

This week, 247Sports writer Travis Branham ranked the Top 50 transfer portal players before the portal officially closes on May 11th, and for the Aggies to finally take the next step in competing for a championship next season, an “immediate impact” signing is needed to complete the roster and push Texas A&M towards contender status. With that, here are five players from Branham’s rankings that are realistic options for the Aggies in the next two months.

These are the schools reaching out to former Oregon C Kel’el Ware

Kel’el Ware is a popular name in the transfer portal, with a number of high-profile teams already reaching out.

The news broke on Monday morning that Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware would be entering the transfer portal and leaving Eugene after one season. This was relatively expected, and be it through the portal or via the NBA Draft, not many people would have confidently told you that Ware would be in Eugene again for a second season in 2023.

However, because of his high profile — Ware was a 5-star recruit and the No. 7 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class — the move has made some waves in the college basketball world. Ware is now one of the most coveted players available in the transfer portal, and there are already a number of top-end teams making contact and trying to get the 7-foot center to join their team.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, these are the schools that have reached out so far:

Texas basketball: Potential targets in the transfer portal

Here is a look at a few potential targets Texas could pursue in the transfer portal.

It is officially Rodney Terry’s program in Austin. Texas and Terry agreed to a five-year deal after guiding the Longhorns to the Elite Eight in an interim role.

Texas’ 2022-2023 season was one of the school’s more successful years in recent memory. Texas finished 29-9, took home the Big 12 Tournament title and won three NCAA Tournament games. The Longhorns advanced past the first weekend of March Madness for the first time since 2008.

Terry’s first task as head coach is to rebuild Texas’ roster into a contender yet again. Texas must replace its senior leadership as Marcus Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice, Timmy Allen and Christian Bishop are departing.

With a solid core of young players set to return along with five-star signees Ron Holland and AJ Johnson joining the program, Texas has a strong foundation to start with.

Adding instant impact talent via the transfer portal is going to be a priority for Terry and his staff. Texas has had tons of success in recent years from utilizing the portal.

Here is a look at a few potential targets Texas could pursue in the transfer portal.

Texas basketball reaches out to former five-star center Kel’el Ware

Rodney Terry and company hit up a big-time post player initiating Day 1 of new era.

Texas needs big men on its basketball roster for next season. Rodney Terry understands the assignment. Continue reading “Texas basketball reaches out to former five-star center Kel’el Ware”

Ducks have reportedly shown interest in intriguing transfer portal option

Dana Altman and the Ducks have reportedly shown interest in intriguing transfer portal option from Northern Colorado.

With the college basketball season over for over 99 percent of teams in the nation, it’s no surprise that the transfer portal has started to head up over the past couple of weeks. Already we have seen a couple of players — Tyrone Williams and Kel’el Ware — announce that they would be leaving Eugene and searching for a new team going forward.

Neither of those announcements came as a major surprise, and more people are expected to leave the Ducks this offseason as well. In turn, we can absolutely expect to hear some names of players transferring to Oregon as well. Already, Jadrian Tracey has announced that he will join the Ducks in 2023, coming from Florida Southwestern State.

There are other players who the Ducks have shown interest in as well. The latest player is former Northern Colorado player Dalton Knecht, according to a report from CBB writer Sean Paul. Knecht is an elite scorer who averaged 20.2 points per game last season.

Here’s what you need to know about him:

Five-star big man Kel’el Ware leaves Oregon and Dana Altman, enters the portal

.@Ducks_Wire was expecting this, but it’s still significant news. Ware instantly becomes a valued portal target for other schools.

Dana Altman has a great incoming recruiting class at Oregon, but he won’t have a five-star big man from his previous recruiting class. Big man Kel’el Ware, who simply didn’t fit comfortably with the Ducks this past season, announced that he would enter the transfer portal and not the NBA draft. The move underscores the extent to which Altman — a coach with an excellent track record of making disparate pieces fit on a roster — has simply swung and missed in each of his last two seasons in Eugene.

Ducks Wire has more on the story:

“Ware, the former No. 7 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, was initially believed to be a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA draft,” Zachary Neel wrote, “but after a freshman season in Eugene where he did not see the production that was expected, he will decided to stick it out for one more season in college at least before making the leap.

“’I am incredibly thankful for my freshman season at Oregon,’ said Ware, via 247Sports. ‘Sincere thanks to Coach Altman and the entire coaching staff for believing in me and helping me grow, both as a player and person. I will take the lessons that I have learned on and off the court this season into this next chapter. And to Ducks Nation and most importantly, my teammates: thank you for embracing me into the Oregon family.’”

“Ware played just 15.8 minutes a game, averaging 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.”

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Social Media Buzz: Oregon fans react to Kel’el Ware entering the transfer portal

Social Media Buzz: Oregon fans react to Kel’el Ware entering the transfer portal

Whether it was via the NBA Draft or the transfer portal, there was a prominent belief that Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware was not going to be with the team for the start of the 2023-24 season. The freshman made it official on Monday with the announcement that he would enter the transfer portal, and not declare for the NBA Draft.

After coming to Eugene as a 5-star prospect, rated No. 7 in the 2022 class, It’s fair to say that Ware’s season with the Ducks was not as prolific as some expected. Ware played just 15.8 minutes a game, averaging 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He was projected to be an NBA Lottery pick early on in the year, but as the season went on, his draft stock fell with the lack of production. Part of that was because of the personnel on the team — N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle also compete for those minutes on the post, and both had more production than Ware.

So while the move from Ware did not come as a major shock, it still elicited some reactions from Oregon fans online. Here is some of the best social media buzz after the news came out on Monday: