Fishers guards Gardner Jr., Cooper named to Core Indiana Junior All-Stars

Two Fishers guards landing in the six-player Core Group of the 2026 Indiana boys' Junior All-Stars is more than a spring honor. It is a loud early marker that the Tigers could return one of the state’s premier backcourts next season, with Jason Gardner Jr. and Cooper Zachary both carrying enough production and reputation to be selected for the group that will play in both Junior All-Stars games.

The Core Group will face the Kentucky Junior All-Stars on May 31 at Charlestown High School, then meet the Indiana senior All-Stars on June 3 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville. The full 2026 Junior All-Stars roster includes 18 players, but only the Core Group is set for both games. That matters for Fishers because Gardner and Zachary are not just part of the pool, they are among the six players trusted to handle the heaviest workload against the strongest competition.

Gardner, listed at 6-foot-1, is coming off a season in which he averaged 14.5 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game as Fishers went 30-1 and reached the Class 4A state runner-up game. Zachary, listed at 5-10, is listed at 14.8 points per game on the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association roster release. Put together, those numbers explain why Fishers is already being discussed as a team with serious 2025-26 ceiling before the next high school season even starts. Gardner is a primary creator who already proved he can steer a 30-win team, while Zachary gives Fishers another guard who can score and handle the ball without forcing the issue.

The selection also backs up what was already becoming obvious in March and beyond. Gardner and Zachary were both chosen for the 2025 IndyStar Boys All-Star Futures Game, where Gardner scored 16 points and Zachary added 11 points and three assists for the North. They were also selected for the 2024 Futures Game as freshmen, which makes this latest honor look less like a one-off and more like a pattern. The Junior All-Stars program dates to 1996, and Fishers now has two guards whose trajectory fits the state’s best rising names.

The rest of the Core Group includes Harper Baker-Lands of Plainfield, Isaiah Hill and Jahari Miller, plus Max Vise of Mt. Vernon. But Fishers’ spot in that elite six is the part that should catch every eye. If Gardner keeps scoring like a lead guard and Zachary keeps climbing as a second option, the Tigers will not just be good again. They will be built for another deep March run.