Former Oregon center Kel'el Ware commits to transfer to Indiana

Former Oregon center Kel’el Ware has found his next career stop.

Ware, a former 5-star recruit and the second-highest-rated signee in program history, has committed to transfer to Indiana, according to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton.

Ware entered the transfer portal on March 27.

NEWS: Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware has committed to Indiana, a source tells @On3sports.

Former 5⭐️ recruit and McDonald’s All-American.

Story: https://t.co/Af7ecwzib7 pic.twitter.com/cB3rQD0ZZR

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 10, 2023

In 35 games with the Ducks during the 2022-23 season, Ware averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.

The No. 6 overall prospect and the No. 2 center in the class of 2020, Ware arrived in Eugene last summer with no shortage of buzz. The 7-foot center was believed by many to be a potential lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and was expected to form one of the top frontcourts in the nation alongside Ducks’ senior N’Faly Dante.

But Ware struggled for playing time under Oregon head coach Dana Altman, who publicly criticized the effort and intensity of the freshmen on multiple occasions.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations,” Altman said of Ware during a media availability in January. “They haven’t gone as well and haven’t been as constructive as we want them to be. I was disappointed in his effort. I let him know that. He’s gonna have to make some adjustments or I’ve got to make some decisions. His time has been reduced. That doesn’t help us, because he is talented.”

Ware is one of four Oregon players to hit the transfer portal this offseason. Starting guard Rivaldo Soares, reserve guard Tyrone Williams, and forward Lök Wur have also opted to do so.

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.