Tag: Kel’el Ware

Big Ten basketball boasts six invites to 2024 NBA draft combine.

Big Ten basketball boasts six invites to 2024 NBA draft combine.

The Big Ten conference produced six invitees for the 2024 NBA draft combine, set to take place from May 12-19.

Those players: Purdue’s Zach Edey, Minnesota’s Cam Christie, Indiana’s Kel’el Ware, Iowa’s Payton Sandfort and Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins and Terrance Shannon Jr.

Wisconsin unsurprisingly did not see any players invited. NBA hopefuls A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn elected to enter the transfer portal instead of testing the NBA waters.

Badgers fans hope some players earn future invitations, including rising star John Blackwell, top 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag and transfer forward Xavier Amos.

The invited athletes will perform several on-court skill drills and compete in games during the seven-day event before a crowd well-stocked with scouts and coaches. It will take place at the Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago, Illinois. Strength, power, speed, agility and body size are specifically measured in events such as the bench press, lane agility drills, vertical jump and reactive sprints. 

Per the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, all selected players are required to attend and engage in the draft combine. 

From the 14 Big Ten teams in 2023-24, six athletes received invites.

From UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington, the four Big Ten newcomers in 2024-25, four athletes received invites, including Bronny James.

Kel’el Ware isn’t expected to enter NBA draft after leaving Oregon

Ware has reportedly already been contacted by several programs, including Arkansas, Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas State among others.

Oregon center Kel’el Ware on Monday told Travis Branham of 247Sports that he will enter the transfer portal and remain in college basketball next season.

Ware, a former five-star prospect from Little Rock, Arkansas, started the season projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft this year. However, after an inconsistent season, Ware will leave the program and play elsewhere as a sophomore.

He is not expected to pursue the draft.

Ware will be the highest-rated player in the portal following his decision, and he will be highly recruited in the coming weeks. He has reportedly already been contacted by several programs, including Arkansas, Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas State, according to Joe Tipton of On3.

The 7-footer averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 35 games with the Ducks. He figures to bring an overall game and versatility to his next team but will need to improve in all aspects after a down freshman campaign.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=650261127]

2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Wembanyama, Henderson on top; Freshmen rising in latest projections

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands at the midway point of the season.

The 2022-23 basketball season is in full swing as the next wave of prospects across the college level and the professional ranks look ahead to the 2023 NBA draft on June 22.

Of course, Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson remain at the top of draft boards at the start of the new year. Both could shut down their seasons right now and still be viewed as the best two players in the class. In other words: They are locked in at Nos. 1 and 2.

Elsewhere, though, fortunes change seemingly nightly.

Several prospects have improved upon their preseason rankings, while others have struggled and had their stock fall. The latest look at the class even has several freshmen on the rise after some impressive performances through the first half of the year.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the first round stands at the midway point of the season. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draft was pulled from Tankathon as of Jan. 10. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and Sixers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: An early look at the top prospects next year

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor over the course of the 2022-23 season.

With the basketball world over a month removed from the NBA draft, many have started to look ahead to the next rookie class and which prospects may be available.

The class is headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who is considered one of the top prospects in recent memory. He has performed well in the top basketball league in France and looks to already be locked in as the top pick in 2023.

Elsewhere, there are several other prospects that will be worth monitoring over the course of next season. The rankings will certainly change but it can be a productive exercise to see how prospects moved up and down draft boards ahead of next year.

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor as the 2022-23 season approaches in a couple of months.

Note: The order of the draft was determined by the reverse championship odds set by Tipico Sportsbook. The 2023 draft will only have 59 picks after the Bulls were stripped of their second-round pick by the NBA due to a tampering violation involving the signing of Lonzo Ball.

HIGHLIGHTS: Five-star Oregon commit records 18-block triple-double in game

See highlights of Oregon five-star commit Kel’el Ware’s jaw-dropping performance and stat line.

You’d think that at some point, Maumelle (Ark.) High School would stop shooting anywhere in the vicinity of 7-foot star Kel’el Ware.

But, 18 blocks and a triple-double later, the five-star Oregon commit was continuing to get a piece of seemingly everything around him that went toward the hoop. On Saturday, Ware posted the jaw-dropping stat line of 15 points, 21 rebounds and 18 blocks in a single game.

Universities don’t always post single-game highlights of their commits, but the Ducks’ Twitter account couldn’t help themselves when it came to this performance.

He soared way above the rim on both sides of the ball.

Seriously. KATV News photographer Max Bennett grabbed this moment during the game. Ware’s fingers are at the top of the white rectangle, almost 18 inches above the rim.

Ware is ranked the No. 20 prospect and No. 6 center in the class of 2022 by the 247Sports Composite. Oregon’s high school recruiting class currently has two members, both of whom are five-star players: Ware and point guard Dior Johnson out of Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), who is considered the 13th-best prospect on the composite. They also have the commitment of JuCo transfer Tyrone Williams.

With an elite guard and an elite big coming in, the Ducks look primed to compete for the top of the Pac-12 next season.

At the very least, opponents will have to be extremely aware of the giant lurking in the paint, ready to swat 18 shots in a game.

[listicle id=101489823]