Getting to Know the 2020 Class: Lance Ware

The commitment of Lance Ware may not have been as heralded as some of the other players in this class but he is an extremely important piece to the 2020 puzzle.

Once John Calipari offered Ware, the rest of the recruitment didn’t last long. Out of the offers he held, Michigan and Ohio State among them, Kentucky was the best one and Ware didn’t take long to jump on board.

Ware shot up the rankings last summer and was on the cusp of being a five star player. While he is vastly different from Tyler Herro, Tyler Ulis, and Devin Booker; Lance Ware can no doubt be a diamond in the rough like those mentioned. All three of those players were fringe five star players and all three of them ended up being much better than we all could have hoped.

There is a logjam at Ware’s position so it is going to be interesting to see if he can separate himself from the pack.

Tale of the Tape

• Position: Power forward
• National Rank: 31
• Position Rank: 5
• Height: 6’9
• Weight: 215

Overlook: While Lance Ware doesn’t possess the bounce of Isaiah Jackson or the experience of Keion Brooks, he brings a bully mentality to the power forward position. He is a very good rebounder, a capable defender, and a blossoming offensive game.

The issue with Ware is that he didn’t really start to hit his stride as a basketball player until the summer of his junior season. At that point he started to pick up steam and interest from big time programs.

John Calipari is going to have to do some shuffling around with the frontcourt players. Ware, Brooks, and Jackson are all power forwards. They’re all 6’9 but they have vastly different skill sets. Out of the three, Calipari will most likely have to ask Jackson and Ware to play out of position at the five unless Matt Haarms decides to be a Kentucky Wildcat.

Ware is going to have to bulk up. He has a clear path for playing time: become an elite rebounder. While Brooks and Jackson have skills that separate them from the other bigs on the team, Ware doesn’t have that...yet.

If he can gain muscle and bring a tenacity to rebounding in the post, then I think he becomes a vital component for this team. He has the type of trajectory that reminds me of PJ Washington. A sophomore Lance Ware could be a huge bonus for Kentucky.

Then again, he could come in ready to go and surprise us all.

If I’m not mistaken, the second clip has Ware taking on Kahlil Whitney’s high school team. Both played in New Jersey and the opposing team is Whitney’s. Whitney is #2 on the Lions and Ware takes him to task multiple times on offense and defense.