2026 Purdue Commit Luke Ertel Makes Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star Game History

2026 Purdue commit Luke Ertel made history in the Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star Game on Wednesday night, scoring a junior record 36 points in a 117-114 win.
Mt. Vernon Marauders guard Luke Ertel (12) shoots a free-throw
Mt. Vernon Marauders guard Luke Ertel (12) shoots a free-throw | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Mt. Vernon star and future Purdue guard Luke Ertel put on another outstanding performance during All-Star week in Indiana. On Wednesday night, the future Boilermaker made Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star Game history, scoring 36 points and leading the juniors to a 117-114 win over the seniors.

Ertel's 36 points were the most scored by a junior player in the game's history, per Kyle Neddenriep of The Indianapolis Star. The previous record was owned by former North Central star Eric Gordon and former Lawrence North standout Greg Oden, who both scored 29 points in the 2000s.

Gordon went on to play college basketball at Indiana and Oden played for Ohio State. Both played in the NBA.

The 6-foot-1 guard from Mt. Vernon was eight-of-13 from the floor and knocked down five-of-seven shots from three-point range. He was perfect from the free throw line, going 15-of-15 from the charity stripe, which included some important freebies down the stretch.

Ertel came up just shy of another double-double, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists.

The all-time scoring record for the Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star Game was set by Trevon Bluiett, a Park Tudor product, who scored 44 points as a senior in 2014. He went on to play at Xavier.

Ertel's 36-point outing in the Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star Game came just a few days after he nearly recorded a triple-double in the Indiana-Kentucky Junior All-Star Game on Sunday. He scored 36 points, dished out 13 assists, grabbed nine rebounds, and recorded three steals in a 119-108 win for Indiana.

Ertel had a magnificent junior season at Mt. Vernon, and he's continued to show off his skills during the All-Star week in Indiana. That success recently resulted in a bump in the recruiting rankings, as On3 bumped him up to the No. 101 overall prospect for the 2026 class.

During the 2024-25 campaign at Mt. Vernon, he averaged 22.7 points, 4.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He also shot 51% from the floor and 45% from three-point range.

Ertel was a member of a Mt. Vernon team that finished the season with a 21-6 record, reaching the semi-state round of the IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament.

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ERTEL CLIMBS IN RECRUITING RANKINGS: On3 recently updated its top 150 rankings for the 2026 recruiting class. Here's where Purdue recruit and talented guard Luke Ertel stands. CLICK HERE


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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.

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