Luke Ertel leads 2026 Indiana boys All-Star roster for Kentucky series

Luke Ertel heads into June with a roster built to make Indiana dangerous against Kentucky, and the shape of that group says as much about style as star power. The Mt. Vernon guard, fresh off being named Indiana Mr. Basketball, will be joined by 12 All-Star teammates in a three-game June slate that includes an exhibition against the Indiana Junior All-Stars and a home-and-home series with Kentucky.

The headline names give Indiana real substance around Ertel. Dikembe Shaw of Crown Point, Brady Scholl of Northridge, Brennan Miller of Lawrence North and Noah Smith all finished behind him in the top five of Mr. Basketball voting, a sign that the state’s best player debate was tight at the top. The full roster also includes Dane Caldwell of Silver Creek, Anthony Fresh of Charlestown, Evan Harrell of Carmel, Ja’Shawn Ladd of Ben Davis, Kai McGrew of Fishers, Nick Shrewsberry of South Bend Saint Joseph, Baron Walker of Noblesville and Cameron Webster of Lawrence North. With seven players listed at 6-foot-7 or taller, this is one of the tallest Indiana boys All-Star groups in recent memory, and that gives the June matchup with Kentucky a very different feel than a guard-heavy squad would.

That size changes the way Ertel can attack. Indiana does not need him to carry every possession, but it does need him to organize a roster that can punish teams inside, rebound in traffic and still keep enough skill on the floor to handle Kentucky’s pressure. Shaw, Scholl, Miller and Smith all bring top-end statewide credibility, while Shrewsberry and Ladd add the kind of winning experience that matters when the series gets serious. Ertel and Shrewsberry were part of state championship teams, while Shaw and Ladd came from runner-up squads, so this is not an honorary group. It is a collection of seniors who already know what June pressure feels like.

The roster also carries uncommon history. Shaw’s selection made him part of the 13th brother-sister All-Star combination in Indiana history, joining a line that includes the Drews, the Mavungas and the Hulls family. Ertel is following his brother Michael, a 2017 All-Star from Mt. Vernon. Ertel and Scholl were first-team Academic All-State selections, while Ladd earned honorable mention academic honors, another reminder that this year’s group pairs production with polish.

Terre Haute North coach Todd Woelfle will lead the team, with Chad Ballenger of Hamilton Heights and Joe Bradburn of Mt. Vernon serving as assistants. Woelfle entered with a 278-177 record in 18 seasons and had just guided Terre Haute North to a 24-4 season with sectional and regional titles. The Indiana-Kentucky series dates to 1940, but this group arrives with its own identity already formed: big, accomplished and anchored by Ertel, the state’s latest standard-bearer.