WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue incoming freshman Luke Ertel has been named the recipient of the 86th annual Indiana Mr. Basketball award, the Indianapolis Star announced the afternoon.
Ertel becomes the first player from Mt. Vernon High School to win the award after leading the Marauders to the 2026 Indiana Class 4A state championship.
Ertel also becomes the 14th Boilermaker to win the Indiana Mr. Basketball award (Joe Sexson, Wilson Eison, Dennis Brady, Billy Keller, Rick Mount, Kyle Macy, Dan Palombizio, Troy Lewis, Woody Austin, Glenn Robinson, Caleb Swanigan, Caleb Furst, Braden Smith, Luke Ertel) and the third recipient in the last six years (Caleb Furst – 2021; Braden Smith – 2022; Luke Ertel – 2026).
Ertel, who was recently named third-team All-America by MaxPreps and was one of 25 finalists for the Naismith Award given to the nation’s top high school player, was a landslide winner, earning 207 or the 230 voties from the state’s coaches and media. He averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range.
He was at his best in the postseason, recording a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a state finals-clinching win over New Albany, then followed it with a 26-point, 10-rebound, six-assist performance in a 52-50 win over Crown Point in the state championship game.
Ertel played football into his sophomore year, but an injury that cost him most of his basketball season ended his football career and put the focus squarely on basketball. He took off from there, seeing his national recruiting ranking skyrocket into the top 40 after averaging 22.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a junior. He then erupted in the Indiana All-Star game, scoring a junior-record 36 points in a win over the Indiana seniors last June.
Ertel is part of a Purdue recruiting class that ranks seventh nationally via 247Sports, in addition to Antione West Jr., who redshirted a year ago and incoming transfer Caden Pierce, who was one of the most sought-after transfers in the country.