Purdue Signee Luke Ertel Earns Prestigious National Midseason Honor
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Future Purdue guard Luke Ertel continues to turn heads at the high school level. This week, the 2026 Boilermaker signee was named to the Naismith Trophy Boys High School Player of the Year Midseason Team, along with 24 other players across the country.
The Naismith Trophy released its list of 25 players named to the midseason team on Thursday. Ertel is the only high school player from Indiana to receive a mention.
Presenting the @jerseymikes Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year Midseason Team
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) January 22, 2026
Click the link below to learn more! pic.twitter.com/JJio9n7Bzm
Ertel has been one of the top players in Indiana this year, leading Mt. Vernon to a 13-2 record through its first 15 games. The future Boilermaker is putting up big numbers, averaging 25.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He is also shooting 47% from the field, 37% from three-point range and 85% from the charity stripe.
The Mt. Vernon guard is also among the best in Indiana in made three-pointers (48) and free throws (75) this season.
Ertel's mention to the Naismith Trophy Boys High School Player of the Year Midseason Team comes just two days after leading Mt. Vernon to a comeback win over Avon on Tuesday. He scored 33 points and knocked down seven three-pointers to get a 64-52 victory in a midweek game.
Ertel signed his National Letter of Intent in November but had been committed to Purdue since the summer of 2024. He is one of the top candidates to win the Indiana Mr. Basketball award at the end of the high school season.
Ertel's climb to four-star status
When Ertel verbally committed to Purdue, he was considered a three-star prospect and ranked in the 100s, per 247Sports. A lot has changed in less than two years, as he's now listed as one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class.
Ertel is currently ranked as the No. 41 player in the 2026 class, per 247Sports. He is considered the best player out of Indiana and the fourth-best point guard of the cycle.
After he officially signed with Purdue, coach Matt Painter had plenty of positive things to say about the Mt. Vernon guard.
"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 in November. "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."
Mt. Vernon still has 10 games remaining in the regular season before the IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament begins.
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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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