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Purdue commit Luke Ertel leads Indiana Junior All-Stars to thrilling exhibition win over seniors

On3 imageby:Brian Neubert•06/05/25•

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Purdue recruit Luke Ertel
Purdue recruit Luke Ertel

GREENFIELD — Again looking the part of not just a great high school player and excellent college prospect, but an elite competitor, Purdue commitment Luke Ertel was the driving force behind his Indiana Junior All-Star team’s 117-114 back-and-forth exhibition win over the All-Star seniors Wednesday night at Greenfield-Central.

The senior-to-be guard from Mount Vernon, the Boilermakers’ lone Class of 2026 commitment to date, scored 36 points, making five threes and all 15 of his free throws, including some key ones in the final minute as the juniors swiped the game at the end after it looked like the seniors were going to pull out a game they’d trailed most of the way.

Ertel added nine rebounds, four assists and two steals as the game really only trended toward the seniors while Ertel was on the bench, leaving the game for a bit in the second half after being bloodied by a friendly-fire elbow from a teammate. It was appropriate in a way that Ertel shed blood, because per usual he spent more than his share of the game either on the floor tying up loose balls or barreling through or past bigger people for rebounds or to get in the lane on offense, illustrating the will that so clearly jibes perfectly with the blueprint Matt Painter tries to recruit to.

Beyond his numbers, Ertel also spent much of the game drawing his team’s signature defensive matchup, Connecticut-bound Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins, playing on his home floor. Mullins scored a modest 17 on 5-of-12 shooting.

Three other Purdue 2026 prospects played for the juniors.

Crown Point wing Dikembe Shaw — Ertel’s Indiana Elite grassroots teammate — scored 26 on 8-of-10 shooting. Purdue has been in communication with the 6-foot-7 Shaw and will have him on campus Friday for its team camp.

Plainfield forward Noah Smith was 4-of-5 from the floor Wednesday night for eight points. He, too, will be at team camp next Friday. Avon’s Keriawn Berry was quiet from a numbers perspective at Greenfield, but did draw the assignment of guarding Mullins at times in the contest. The Orioles will plat at Purdue’s camp each of the next two Fridays.

Mount Vernon will be part of the team camp next Friday, but Ertel will be absent, on his way to the NBA Camp in South Carolina.

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