Former Hoosiers Jalen Hood-Schifino, Kel'El Ware Do Battle In Miami

Kel'El Ware got the upper-hand in the box score and on the scoreboard in Monday's battle of Indiana alums.

Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) passes the ball after grabbing a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

MIAMI - Former Indiana standouts Kel'El Ware and Jalen Hood-Schifino went head-to-head on Monday in a battle of former Hoosiers.

Ware and the Miami Heat had the upper hand. Miami won the game 117-105 and Ware was a big part of the reason why.

Ware, who played one season for the Hoosiers in the 2023-24 season, had a monster game with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Ware was 8 of 16 from the field, continuing his fine rookie season with the Heat.

Hood-Schifino, who also played one season for Indiana in 2022-23, did not score in a 20-minute stint.

Ware and Hood-Schifino were not teammates at Indiana, but they're two of the three players - Golden State's Trayce Jackson-Davis is the other - who advanced from Mike Woodson's Indiana-coached teams to the NBA.

Ware continued his fine rookie season with the Heat. Monday's double-double was the 14th of the season for the North Little Rock, Ark. native. The 19 points and 17 rebounds he had against Philadelphia was the largest total of points and rebounds he's had in any of those double-doubles.

Ware is averaging nine points and 7.2 rebounds. He's converted 55.6% of his shots and has blocked 1.1 shots per game. Ware has started the last 11 games he's played and has started 33 of the 61 he's played in the 2024-25 season for Miami.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (17) protects the basketball during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Though he didn't score on Monday, Hood-Schifino has had a major revival of fortune with the 76ers.

Hood-Schifino has averaged eight points in 11 games since he signed with Philadelphia in March.

The Pittsburgh native began playing regularly on March 14 and has been able to have some of his finest career moments in the NBA since then.

Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 19 points in a game at Dallas on March 16. He also had an 18 point game against Toronto on March 30. Hood-Schifino converted 6 of 8 from the field in that contest.

Originally drafted 17th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, Hood-Schifino played sparingly for the Lakers as his career has been marred by a back injury.

He appeared in 21 games during the 2023-24 season, averaging 1.6 points. He appeared in two games during the 2024-25 season for the Lakers, but at the start of the season, the Lakers announced they intended to decline the third-year rookie option on the Pittsburgh native.

That would have made him a free agent in the summer of 2025, but subsequent events changed Hood-Schifino’s fate.

On Feb. 2, Hood-Schifino was sent to the Utah Jazz as part of the Luka Doncic trade that sent the Slovenian star and two other players from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. The Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first round draft pick.

Five days after the Jazz acquired Hood-Schifino, they waived him. That prompted his eventual move to Philadelphia.

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