Tag: Team USA U18

Oregon Ducks center Kel’el Ware leads USA U18 National Team to victory over D.R.

Incoming freshman Kel’el Ware scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Team USA U18 National Team in their win over DR on Monday.

The future is bright for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program, and fans need to look no further than the FIBA U18 men’s national team to see that.

Oregon incoming freshman center Kel’el Ware started for Team USA in their first game against the Dominican Republic on Monday, and he dropped a team-high 17 points with nine rebounds in the 116-48 victory.

Ware was one of two Oregon commits named to USA Basketball Junior National Teams, as incoming women’s recruit Grace VanSlooten is representing the Ducks on the Women’s U18 National Team as well.

Ware is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 6 player in the class of 2022, and many believe he will be a one-and-done lottery pick in the 2023 NBA draft after a strong season in Eugene.

First, Ware gets to pick up extremely valuable experience playing high level basketball with some of the country’s most impactful incoming freshmen, including Arkansas’ Anthony Black, Stanford’s Kanaan Carlyle, and Duke’s Jared McCain.

There’s little doubt this experience will make him even more prepared to have an outstanding season in Eugene, adding more fuel to the recent rankings which include Oregon as a potential top-20 team next year.

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Incoming freshmen Kel’el Ware and Dior Johnson try out for Team USA U18 squad

Incoming freshmen Ke’lel Ware and Dior Johnson try out for Team USA U18 squad in Houston next month.

Fans of the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is going to get a sneak preview of what’s to come in the 2022-23 season with a pair of incoming freshmen trying out for the Team USA U18 squad.

Guard Dior Johnson and center Kel’el Ware will attempt to make the prestigious roster as they practice for the men’s U-18 FIBA Americas Championship. The tryouts will be held in Houston from May 26-June 2.

Ultimately, Team USA will have 12 players and once the team is announced, they’ll travel to Tijuana, Mexico for the Americas Championship tournament June 6-12.

The 7-foot Ware is a potential one-and-done player for the Ducks as he is projected to be a high first-round NBA draft pick. As for Johnson, he is also a potential one-and-done talent, but it’s very possible he’s at Oregon for longer than his freshman season. At 6-3, Johnson is a point guard that is expected to be in the starting lineup immediately, assuming Will Richardson leaves for a professional career.

Colorado’s Tad Boyle will be the head coach for Team USA.

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