Colleges taking notice of Kel'el Ware's size, talent
Kel’el Ware is the No. 33-ranked player in the current 2022 Rivals150. This makes the 7-foot center the No. 5 player at his position in his class.
“I would say right now I am able to defend well, block shots and grab rebounds. On offense, I can post up and shoot over most defenders. I watch a lot of Joel Embiid, trying to improve my game,” Ware said.
The North Little Rock (Ark.) High School post is playing this summer with the All Arkansas Red (Ark.) UA Rise program and has a host of schools following him during the live period.
“I went on official visits to Arkansas and Oregon this June, and I took an unofficial visit to Ole Miss,” Ware said. “It feels good to have college coaches in the gym, you know they’re the ones recruiting me. The college coaches are actually able to come watch me play in person and not just watch the film.”
*****
MORE: Jamie Shaw's takeaways after a week at Nike's EYBL
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
IN HIS WORDS
Arkansas: “They showed me their plays and h ow I would be able to fit in and be used there. I saw the campus. I saw the place I would be living. It was good to see all that. I liked it.”
Oregon: “Everything was really nice out there. It was a big facility, you know, I saw the Nike facility and that is what they are known for. The weather was great over there, too. It was just really calm.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
“I know I am going to visit Texas and Illinois, but my mom and my coach are setting up the rest of those visits now,” Ware said.
As for his final decision about a college landing spot, Ware will be especially interested in how programs handle their centers and frontcourt players.
“I will be looking closely at how much these schools use their bigs, and how they use their bigs and what all they have done with bigs in the past,” Ware said.
RIVALS' REACTION
Ware walks on the floor with legit size and with great length. He moves well and has natural timing while blocking shots and around the rim. He has recently started showing touch, extending out the three. As Ware continues to get his motor running and figures out his offensive game there is a lot of upside there as the frame is just too good to overlook.