Kevin Ware headed to Georgia State

— -- Kevin Ware is headed closer to home and will transfer to Georgia State, he confirmed in a text message to ESPN.com.

The 6-foot-2 junior who gained national attention a little more than a year ago when he suffered a gruesome broken leg in the Elite Eight against Duke, made a visit to Ron Hunter's program this weekend and committed on the trip. Hunter met with Ware and his family late Saturday morning to finalize the decision.

Ware mutually parted ways with Louisville last month after a season in which he played just nine games and averaged 1.7 points. He sustained an injury to the same right leg against Missouri State in mid-December and decided to shut it down.

He will seek a medical redshirt and have two seasons of eligibility left for the Panthers.

Look for Ware to also seek a waiver from the NCAA to be able to play immediately since his family lives in Georgia.

Georgia State was 25-9 last season and will return guards R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow.

Wesley Junior, Ware's stepfather, told The Associated Press that the guard verbally committed to the school after visiting the Atlanta campus on Saturday.

"He's happy to be close to home and close to family," Junior said, adding that Ware's mother, Lisa, "could be close to him. She couldn't be as close to him because of the drive.

"Now, it's now a 30-minute drive up the street instead of six hours."

Earlier Saturday, Ware tweeted his appreciation of Louisville:

I want to thank the entire cardinal organization from the coaches, to the staff, trainers, fans, and anyone who's been a supporter of me. - Kevin Ware (@5Juice) April 12, 2014

Junior said that Ware is fully healthy now and eager to resume his career in familiar surroundings.

"He's ready to go today and could play right now if he could," Junior said. "We're just making sure his academics are good and making sure he's ready for the next phase."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.