Purdue Signee Luke Ertel Earns Naismith All-America Honorable Mention

Luke Ertel already had a Purdue commitment and a 25-3 record backing him up. Now the Mt. Vernon (Fortville) senior guard has a Naismith Awards stamp on his résumé, earning High School All-America honorable mention as one of 30 players nationally recognized on the list this season. Of those 30, 15 earned spots on the first, second, and third teams; Ertel was among the 15 who received honorable mention.

The numbers behind the honor are difficult to argue with. According to MaxPreps, Ertel is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor, 40 percent from three-point range, and 88 percent from the free-throw line. That kind of triple-threat production from a high school guard draws inevitable college attention, and Purdue head coach Matt Painter committed to Ertel well before the national award caught up.

"I don't know if I've ever seen a high school guy that we've taken with more intestinal fortitude. Just a determined player, tough, hard-nosed, gets after it, picks you up full court, birddogs the basketball," Painter said when Ertel signed his National Letter of Intent. "He's really improved his arsenal in terms of shooting the basketball. Not just catching and shooting, but getting to his pull-up, getting to bodies, bouncing off bodies, being able to make floaters and runners. He's put a lot of time into his game."

Ertel said the recognition caught him off guard. "It was honestly crazy I didn't really expect it," he said. "It's kinda cool to be recognized on a national level like that." That modesty fits the profile his own coach paints. Mt. Vernon head coach Bradburn did not hold back when asked about his senior. "Luke is probably the hardest working player that I have ever coached," Bradburn said. "He controls the pace of the game."

Ertel's gratitude for the moment runs deeper than most. His sophomore season lasted just six games due to injury, a stretch that left him watching from the sideline while his teammates competed. "I'd say just being grateful to play the game, never taking a play for granted," Ertel said. "I remember when I was a sophomore I was very sad, very distraught that I was not able to be out there with my guys."

The awards have not slowed the Marauders' postseason push. Mt. Vernon pulled off a 57-54 overtime win over Pike to advance to the semi-state round of the IHSAA tournament, and the program now faces Decatur Central on March 21 with a spot in the IHSAA State Championship Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on the line.

Ertel made clear that hardware is secondary to what he actually wants this spring. "Obviously my two goals are to win a state championship and win Mr. Basketball," he said. With the Marauders one win away from Indianapolis, both remain squarely within reach.