‘We Needed Him Back in the Worst Way’: Kel’el Ware Dominates Iowa in Return From Injury

Those skills – the shot blocking, rebounding, dunking and even 3-point shooting – are all reasons why Ware has been heralded as a future pro since his high school days. None of that was new or surprising to see on Tuesday. But Ware’s energy, physicality and impact on winning have not always been there. That’s why Ware is still in college, not the NBA, and those are the areas of his game that scouts, media, fans and even his former coaches picked apart last season at Oregon.

Performances like Tuesday’s against Iowa display Ware tapping into his sky high potential and changing that narrative. It’s also why it appears he won’t need to don the cream and crimson for long before fulfilling those professional prophecies.

That development started with some tough love.

“A lot of Coach Woodson screaming from the very beginning when I got him,” Woodson said Tuesday. “I don't mean that in a bad way. I just tried to push him, along with our coaching staff. Because the first two or three weeks with him was a nightmare in terms of his energy and his get-up-and-go. And we've kind of coached him into playing better, playing with a little more energy.”

Usually calm on the court, and humble and soft spoken in interviews, Ware came out of his shell more than ever on Tuesday.

After a missed 3-pointer from Mackenzie Mgbako with Indiana clinging to a two-point lead with about 30 seconds left, Iowa guard Josh Dix dove for the rebound. But as he fell out of bounds, he passed the ball off Owen Freeman’s foot, and it bounced right to Indiana’s Trey Galloway. A bit of luck freed up Ware for a slam dunk, giving Indiana a four-point lead.

McCaffery called a timeout, and Ware let his emotions out, screaming at the top of his lungs like the rest of the raucous Assembly Hall crowd. Woodson said he hadn’t noticed that kind of reaction from Ware all season, but it was nice to see.

Ware did all of this while apparently playing through an injury. After posterizing Freeman with a thunderous dunk with 7:40 left, Ware grimaced and favored his right leg, different from the left ankle injury that kept him out of the previous two games. He didn’t look quite as explosive down the stretch, but he battled through and commanded the paint all game.

This isn’t the first game Ware has led Indiana to a win. After all, he’s averaging 14.7 points and 9.4 rebounds with eight-double doubles this season. But losses to UConn, Auburn and Purdue showed Ware a step behind some of college basketball’s best bigs like Donovan Clingan, Johni Broome and Zach Edey.

Freshman guard Gabe Cupps, who stepped up when Xavier Johnson got hurt and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:26 left, loved to see Ware’s effort on Tuesday. And if Indiana is going to turn its season around, it needs this version of Ware night in and night out.

“That's the thing we need from him,” Cupps said. “He's obviously super talented, super skilled. And a lot of people's knock on him is that he's not tough. And I think he shows it in spurts, but once he can be consistent in that – and he showed that tonight – he's an unstoppable player.”