Oregon’s Ware, ex-top-10 recruit, to enter portal

Oregon freshman Kel’ el Ware, a former top-10 recruit, prepares to go into the transfer portal, he informed ESPN on Monday.Ware, a 7-foot

center from Arkansas, averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in a mostly reserve role during his freshman campaign for the Ducks. He revealed considerable pledge early in the season, opting for 18 points and 9 rebounds against UConn, 17 points and 9 rebounds against Michigan State and 13 points and 7 rebounds versus Villanova during a three-game stretch at the Phil Knight Invitational in late November.But Ware’s role and

minutes decreased as the season progressed, bottoming out late in the Pac-12 campaign. He got better with 11 points in 16 minutes versus UCF in the NIT.Ware was ranked No. 8 in the ESPN 100 for the 2022 class and was picked a McDonald’s All-American. While his NBA draft stock dropped during the season, he’s still the No. 5 center and No. 35 overall in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings.Oregon’s season ended

recently with a 61-58 home loss to Wisconsin in the NIT, after which head coach Dana Altman expressed displeasure at the lack of fan support.

“If it’s me, then get rid of me,” Altman stated. “If it’s me, then make the change. Make the change. Someone will employ me somewhere. I’ll go coach junior college ball.”

Ware is the second Oregon player to make his intents known, with guard Tyrone Williams entering the transfer portal recently.