Chesterton's Bradly Basila adds offers, shines with Futures Game MVP

Bradly Basila turned a single all-star showcase into a recruiting jolt, landing his first two Division I offers and then backing the buzz with an MVP performance at the Indiana All-Stars Futures Game. The Chesterton rising junior scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in North’s 120-103 win at New Palestine High School, a line that matched the eye test for a 6-foot-8 forward whose momentum is moving fast.

That rise has not happened overnight. Basila arrived at Chesterton from the Congo in the middle of his freshman season and played the final nine games of that year while adjusting to a new school, a new country, a new language and the physicality of Indiana basketball. Chesterton coach Marc Urban has seen the growth up close, and after the long drive to New Palestine, he summed up the early adjustment this way: “It was still new. A lot of things were really new.”

What changed most was the skill base. Urban said Basila has gotten stronger, improved his shot and become more comfortable competing at a high level, and those traits were on display in the Futures Game, which featured 24 of the state’s top freshmen and sophomores from the previous season. Basila hit threes, attacked the basket and finished with three dunks, showing the kind of versatility college staffs want to see in a modern frontcourt prospect. He also brought energy to the bench, encouraging teammates between shifts instead of fading into the background.

The award carried added significance. Basila became the second native of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to win Futures Game MVP honors, following Flory Bidunga, the inaugural MVP when the event began in 2023. For Indiana basketball, that connection matters because it underscores how international talent has become part of the state’s high school landscape, and how quickly a player can move from intriguing newcomer to headline name when development catches up with talent.

Recruiting has started to reflect that surge. Oral Roberts and Ball State have already extended scholarship offers, while Oklahoma State, Bradley, Iona, Bellarmine and Liberty have also shown interest. Prep Hoops lists Basila as a 2028 prospect and a 6-foot-8 power forward who plays club basketball for Indiana Elite 3SSB, a profile that still feels early but is climbing quickly. Chesterton and Basila now move into the summer stretch with the Charlie Hughes Tournament scheduled for June 26-28, another chance to show that the Futures Game was not a peak, but a preview.