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The tired 7-footer had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench in Team USA’s 102-80 win over the World.
PORTLAND — The funny thing is, Kel’el Ware said he was tired.
The 2022 Oregon five-star men’s basketball commit was just at the McDonald’s All-American game last week in Chicago. Then it was straight to Portland, where he got a few practices in with his USA teammates before facing the “World” in Friday night’s Nike Hoops Summit prep showcase.
It’s a long grind at the end of a long season, yet there Ware was at the Moda Center, all 7-feet of him, contesting threes, finishing off dunks and draining a few deep shots of his own in USA’s 102-80 win over the World Selects.
Ware had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench and showcased a range of skills that will look awfully nice this fall at Matthew Knight Arena.
“It was a little bit rough coming in,” Ware said, who scored eight points last week in the McDonald’s All-American game. “But just coming together as a team and fighting to get that win while representing the USA, that’s good. That’s good.”
Ware’s the No. 10 player in the 2022 class, a center from Arkansas who averaged 20.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game this season at North Little Rock. And after watching him play with some of the world’s best high school talent on Friday, it’s fun to imagine him teaming up with fellow Oregon incoming five-star guard Dior Johnson for a potent one-two punch. Ware’s not thin — at 210 pounds, he’s got a sturdy base — but he ran the floor confidently and looks like he can offer the Ducks a similar three-and-D profile to former UO center/forward Chris Boucher.
“I like to do it all,” said Ware, who enjoyed some added applause inside the Moda Center from the Oregon fans in the crowd.
They’ll be cheering even more if Oregon can land Omaha Biliew. The World forward is the No. 6 player in the 2023 class, a 6-foot-8 wing who scored 12 points in the loss. He’s quite familiar with Oregon: He was here with Link Academy (MO) in December for the Les Schwab Invitational and has been recruited hard by Oregon assistant Mike Mennenga since last summer.
“It feels like home,” Biliew said, noting the team’s trip to the Nike campus as a highlight.
With Ware, the Ducks have the No. 17 class for 2022. And following Mookie Cook’s commitment last week, the Ducks sit No. 2 for 2023. After failing to reach the NCAA Tournament in 2022, talent won’t be an issue. And maybe Team USA coach Joe Mantegna’s perspective on Ware and his team this week is a good sign for the Ducks moving forward.
“It’s really tough for these guys,” he said. “…They’re tired. Some haven’t been home for a couple of weeks. To commit themselves to three-to-four more days of two-a-day practices and to compete together and to be connected the way they were — we had 23 assists today. There was nobody playing out there for themselves.”
— Tyson Alger
