Jeff BorzelloESPN staff writer1 minute to read
Transferring to Oregon State, former Top 10 recruit Keel Wear announced his commitment to Indiana State on Monday. Ware visited the Hoosiers’ campus last week and then canceled a scheduled trip to Alabama, leaving Indiana as the clear favorite.
The 7-foot-tall center must replace All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, who announced last week that he plans to enter the NBA Draft. Head coach Mike Woodson has made the front court a priority in the transfer gate, adding Ball State senior ballplayer Payton Sparks last month.
Woodson is also bringing in owner Reno and Caleb Banks, and has the Hoosiers in the mix for Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum.
A native of Arkansas, Weir averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in a mostly reserve role during his freshman campaign for the Ducks. He showed great promise early in the season, posting 18 points and nine rebounds against UConn, 17 points and nine rebounds against Michigan State and 13 points and seven rebounds against Villanova during a three-game stretch at Phil Knight Stadium in late November.
As the season progressed, Weir’s role diminished. He played single-digit minutes in five of six games in late February and early March, before bouncing back with 11 points in 16 minutes against UCF in the NIT.
Ware was ranked eighth on the ESPN 100 Class of 2022 and was named a McDonald’s All-American. While his NBA draft dropped during the season, he was still 5th overall and 35th overall in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings at the end of the campaign.