Indiana Players Earn Spots on 2025-26 ALL-USA Midwest Boys Basketball Team

Six Indiana players landed on the 2025-26 ALL-USA Midwest Boys Basketball Team when USA TODAY Sports released its regional honors on March 19, placing the Hoosier State prominently among the 13 states that make up the Midwest Region.

Luke Ertel, a senior guard from Mt. Vernon in Fortville, earned a First Team spot alongside wings Noah Smith of Plainfield and Jacob Wheeler of La Lumiere in La Porte. Isaiah Hill, a junior post from Pike in Indianapolis, also claimed a First Team berth. The six Indiana honorees were rounded out by Jonathan Sanderson, a senior at La Lumiere, and Landon Lampley, a sophomore wing also from Pike.

La Lumiere's double presence on the roster underscores the La Porte program's national standing, with both Wheeler and Sanderson representing the school. Pike likewise placed two players, with Hill earning First Team post recognition while Lampley appeared among the wing selections.

Indiana's place on the roster fits the broader context USA TODAY Sports cited in its release: "There aren't many areas with a richer basketball history than some of the states that make the Midwest so great. States like Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin consistently put out elite talent that shines at the next level and beyond."

The full First Team guard list also included Marquis Clark of Whitney Young in Chicago, Quentin Coleman of Principia in St. Louis, King Gibson of SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, and Joshua Tyson of Lakota West in West Chester, Ohio. Tyson, wearing number 2, helped Lakota West to a 58-53 win over Princeton at Cintas Center on Feb. 6. Additional First Team wings included Dooney Johnson of Milwaukee Juneau and Jack Kohnen of Slinger, Wisconsin, with posts rounded out by Trab Frazier of Iowa United Prep in Des Moines and Eden Vinyard of Ferndale, Michigan.

The regional honor carries significant weight beyond the Midwest. Each player selected to the roster is automatically a finalist for the ALL-USA National Boys Basketball Team, USA TODAY Sports' All-America list that has run since 1982. The national team is scheduled to be revealed in early April, meaning several Indiana players could soon find themselves among the country's elite.

Indiana's representation on the list coincides with a strong final state poll of the regular season, where Mt. Vernon finished fourth in Class 4A and Plainfield fifth in the same class, with both schools producing ALL-USA honorees in Ertel and Smith respectively. Pike sat third in Class 4A in that final poll, further validating the program's two-player national showing.