Kevin Ware

For the football player, see Kevin Ware (American football).

Kevin Ware

Ware cuts a net after Louisville's victory in the 2013 NCAA championship game.
No. 32 – Georgia State Panthers
Position	Guard
League	Sun Belt Conference
Personal information
Born	(1993-01-03) January 3, 1993 Bronx, New York
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school	Rockdale County (Conyers, Georgia)
College	Louisville (2011–2014) Georgia State (2014–present)
Career highlights and awards
NCAA champion (2013) Sun Belt Tournament MVP (2015)

Kevin Douglas Ware (born January 3, 1993) is an American college basketball player at Georgia State University and also a former player for the University of Louisville. Ware spent most of the 2012–13 Louisville season backing up starting guards Peyton Siva and Russ Smith. Ware received widespread media attention when he broke his had his right leg broken by Tyler Thornton in an Elite Eight game against the Duke Blue Devils on March 31, 2013, when he tried to block a three-point attempt.

Early life

Ware was born on January 3, 1993, in Bronx, New York, to Lisa Junior and Kevin Ware, Sr. Growing up, Ware has three sisters Donna, Brittney and Khadijah. Ware and his family moved to Atlanta when he was 14, but shortly after, they moved to Rockdale County, Georgia, so the family could live in "more of a quiet area." Scout and Rivals.com both listed Ware as a four-star prospect out of a possible five stars, while ESPN gave him a 92/100 rating. He had a broken hand in July 2010. Ware had signed a letter-of-intent with Tennessee, but changed his mind after Bruce Pearl was fired as Tennessee's basketball coach. His choices were down to Georgia and Louisville before picking the Cardinals.

College career

In his freshman season, Ware played limited minutes. In his sophomore year, his minutes began to increase as Louisville's first guard off the bench to relieve Peyton Siva or Russ Smith. Ware had disciplinary issues, however, and Rick Pitino suspended him for a game against Pittsburgh. After his return, Ware's production and minutes increased for the remainder of the season. In consecutive games in the NCAA tournament, Ware dished a career high 5 assists against Colorado State, then scored a career high 11 points against Oregon.

Injury

On March 31, 2013, in the first half of an Elite Eight game against Duke, Ware landed awkwardly after attempting to block a three-point shot attempt by Duke guard Tyler Thornton and suffered a compound fracture to his right leg which protruded several inches out of his shin. Players and coaches on both teams were visibly shaken at the sight of the injury. While lying on the floor of the court, Ware repeatedly said, "I'm fine, just win the game." After being tended to courtside for several minutes, Ware was carried off on a stretcher and was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis. Surgeons inserted a rod into his tibia in a two-hour operation. In a performance the players dedicated to Ware, Louisville beat Duke 85–63. As the game concluded, Louisville forward Chane Behanan wore Ware's jersey in a show of solidarity for his teammate.

Many NBA players showed their support for Ware and shared their sympathies through Twitter, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant. Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann and the Louisville Cardinals former running back Michael Bush, who both have gone through the same kind of injury, called to give their support. Ware traveled with the team to the Final Four in Atlanta, where he sat alongside his teammates as they won the national championship.

2013–14 season

Ware returned to competitive basketball for the first time during an exhibition game against the University of Pikeville, entering the game midway through the second half. Ware received a standing ovation upon entering the game, and another after making his first shot, finishing with six points and four rebounds. He played in nine games that season.

Ware announced that he would redshirt the 2013–2014 season in order to continue his recovery.

He later decided to transfer in order to "move on", and move to a school closer to the state of Georgia such as Tennessee, Georgia State, or Auburn.

On April 12, 2014, Ware officially transferred to Georgia State University. He started the 2014–15 season with two years of eligibility. Ware was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in which he led Georgia State to victory in the championship game, earning GSU a ticket to the NCAA Tournament where they upset third seeded Baylor in the second round.