The Recruiting Guy

ESPN 4-star Kel'el Ware has eye-opening Arkansas trip

North Little Rock’s Kel’el Ware hangs on the rim after a dunk during the fourth quarter of the Charging Wildcats’ 65-55 victory over Little Rock Central in the Class 6A championship Thursday at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.

Fayetteville- Arkansas forward target Kel’el Ware had eye-opening official visit to Fayetteville.

"Great, exciting, an eye opener,” he said when asked to describe his trip.

Ware, 7-0, 221 pounds, of North Little Rock, has offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Oregon, Auburn, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and other programs.

The visit started Tuesday and gave him an in-depth look at what Coach Eric Musselman’s program looked like.

“They showed me everything,” Ware said. “All the coaches have coached in the NBA, so they’re experienced in that. (The staff) telling me where I would play was great.”

Ware averaged 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game as a junior and was named second team Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Prep.

He led the Charging Wildcats to the Class 6A state title game after finishing with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals while being named MVP of the game.

The Razorbacks would use utilize Ware’s skills inside and on the perimeter.

“They don’t just tell their bigs to post up all the time,” Ware said.

The pace of Arkansas' practice impressed Ware.

“Practice was fast paced, going through everything quick and like ending practice quick,” he said.

The visit appears to have helped the Razorbacks’ case with Ware.

“Everything they showed me helped me see more things,” said Ware, who played for All Arkansas Red in the spring.

Ware plans to make an unofficial visit to Memphis on Saturday and then attend the Pangos All-American Camp on Sunday. He’ll officially visit Oregon on June 14-16 and Texas on June 20.

He is working out details for trips to Illinois and Southern Cal.

ESPN rates Ware a 4-star recruit and the No. 22 center in the nation for the 2022 class.

He enjoyed his time with Musselman.

“It was great because you actually get to see his personality, him joking around and all that,” Ware said.

The highlight of the trip was pretty simple for Ware.

“The snacks for when I walked up to the room,” Ware said.