What All IU Fans Need to Know About Kel'el Ware with Nate Olson of SBLive

When Kel'el Ware committed to Indiana, a two-part narrative quickly emerged about his one up-and-down season at Oregon:

One, Ware has undeniable physical gifts and basketball talent. That has never been in question. But the other part of the narrative is that Ware might be a player with effort or "motor" concerns, and could those prevent him from reaching his full potential at Indiana and beyond?

Many IU fans found a story written by Nate Olson of SB Live and Best of Arkansas Sports that did a great job of trying to contextualize Ware's season in Eugene. The story is titled "Accusations of Laziness Dogging Indiana Commit Kel’el Ware Deserve Deeper Look," and you can read it here: https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/arkansas-basketball-kelel-ware-transfer-portal-oregon/

In this special edition of The Assembly Call, Jerod is joined by Olson to provide that deeper look on Ware as a player and person. Olson has covered Ware since his high school days as a prep superstar in Little Rock and knows Ware and his game as well as anyone in the media. 

We discuss how, as a young player, Ware faced similar concerns about his motor and how he and his high school coach worked through them. What does that story suggest about the best way for the IU coaching staff to reach him and get the most out of him?

(Additional suggested reading: https://news.scorebooklive.com/oregon/2022/03/04/north-little-rock-big-man-kelel-ware-finally-letting-game-do-the-talking)

We also dive into what (probably) went wrong in Oregon, and why a surface level view of the two situations suggests that Indiana has a chance to be a much better fit.

Plus, Olson shares some anecdotes from Ware's high school career that suggest he only scratched the surface of what he's capable of offensively at Oregon. What kind of player could he become as soon as this season if Mike Woodson is able to fully unlock his confidence?

All of that and much more in this very insightful conversation with Nate Olson.

To learn more about SBLive Sports, which recently expanded their coverage into Indiana, visit https://scorebooklive.com/indiana.

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