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Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'There's a lot of bragging rights.' Ertel goes for record 36 points as Juniors beat All-Stars
GREENFIELD — Other than the 80-plus degree temperature outside, it felt like March at Greenfield-Central High School on Wednesday night. The boys Indiana All-Stars were tested, pushed and eventually lost to the Junior All-Stars 117-114 in a game that was as physical and hard played as one at the end of the high school basketball season. Mt. Vernon's Luke Ertel was again the catalyst for the Junior All-Stars, setting a junior record vs. the seniors with 36 points. 'I obviously don't go around watching other all-star games around the country but, I mean, that was about as competitive of an all-star game as you could possibly get,' All-Stars coach Marc Urban of Chesterton said. 'The energy of the crowd was good. We just have to figure out how to play harder, longer. And make those tougher plays more consistently.' It appeared the senior All-Stars had put themselves in position to finally get some distance from the Juniors after Jeffersonville's Michael Cooper keyed a run to put the All-Stars ahead 92-83 with 8:50 left. A little more than a minute later, Crown Point's Dikembe Shaw fouled out for the Juniors, leaving the game with 26 points. Game over? No. The fun was just beginning. 'There's a lot of bragging rights,' Shaw said. The Junior All-Stars kept coming, tying the game on a shot by Ertel, who matched his point total in the win over the Kentucky Junior All-Stars on Sunday at Charlestown. The Juniors took a six-point lead with 3:45 left after the senior All-Stars were whistled for a technical. But the senior All-Stars were not done, getting it tied at 108-108 on a basket by Brady Koehler with 1:16 left. After Justin Curry made one of two free throws to put the Juniors ahead by one point, Ben Davis' Mark Zackery IV scored and IndyStar Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins, playing his final game on his home floor, made two free throws with 28.9 seconds left to give the All-Stars a 112-109 lead. Then it really got crazy. Terrence Hayes Jr. of Gary 21st Century drove the lane, narrowly avoiding a travel call, and turned and whipped a pass to Lawernce North's Brennan Miller under the basket to bring the Junior All-Stars to within one point. A tipped pass led to a turnover and Haynes pushed ahead and tossed an alley-oop to Fishers' Kai McGrew, who laid the ball off the class just over the outstretched hand of the 6-9 Koehler for a 113-112 lead for the Juniors. Jeffersonville's Tre Singleton drove the left side of the lane, attempting to give the senior All-Stars the lead. But his shot was blocked by McGrew and Ertel corralled the rebound. His two free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining gave the Juniors a 115-112 lead. On the next possession, Zackery was fouled before the seniors could get a look at a 3-pointer. He made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to cut the Juniors lead to 115-114. Miller was fouled and made two free throws for the Junior All-Stars before the ball was inbounded by make it 117-114. Mullins got off a final heave from beyond halfcourt that was just left of the basket and bounced off the backboard. 'It was a good test for the two games with Kentucky,' said Mullins, who finished with 17 points and four assists. 'We haven't played together at all and (the Junior All-Stars) got to play a game together. I'm not going to use that as an excuse. They played harder than us tonight. But I think we'll gel more this week and I think we'll be better this weekend.' The All-Stars will play the Kentucky All-Stars on Friday at Lexington Catholic High School before returning home for the rematch on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Cathedral's Koehler, a Notre Dame recruit, matched Mullins for team-high scoring honors with 17 points. Singleton and Fishers' Justin Kirby each had 11 points. Dezmon Briscoe of Crispus Attucks had 10 points and nine rebounds and Zackery also had 10 points. 'We have a good rotation of guys,' said Mullins, a UConn recruit. 'It's just a matter of who wants to play hard or not. I think that's really going to determine how our team is going to play. I think we just didn't play hard enough. But I think our coach is going to get on us (Thursday) and we'll be better. There's no reason you should be losing to the juniors as seniors, especially playing one last time on this court.' Ertel's 36 points broke the record a junior against the seniors, a mark that was shared by Greg Oden and Eric Gordon with 29 points. Ertel is second all-time for points in junior-senior rivalry behind Park Tudor's Trevon Bluiett, who scored 44 for the seniors in 2014. Ertel left the game briefly with blood on his jersey in the second half. Urban joked that he needed to stay out of the game for a longer look at the jersey. 'I thought his effort and how competitive he was and how hard he played was outstanding,' Urban said. 'That was my first time seeing him live and he was really, really good.' Ertel called it 'just an all-star game at the end of the day.' But there was no denying how hard he played during the game. 'It's a joy playing with Luke,' Shaw said. 'On the court, he's a dawg. He fights tooth and nail. We could be going against first graders and I know he'd give 100 percent.'
Indianapolis Star
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Standouts on and off field: 3 finalists for Indianapolis City Male Athlete of the Year
The Marion County Athletic Association will soon name its City and County Athletes of the Year, an award that dates to 1950 and grew to include girls' achievements in 1979. The awards are geared toward athletic achievement, but almost every winner over the years has exhibited impressive credentials in and out of their athletic, academic and personal areas. Generally, multi-sport athletes are given consideration over single-sport athletes, though in some cases a single-sport athlete has been so outstanding that he or she has been selected as the winner. Here are the three finalists for City Male Athlete of the Year (Bishop Chatard's Sam Feeney won last year): More: 3 finalists for Indianapolis City Female Athlete of the Year More: 3 finalists for Marion County Male Athlete of the Year Briscoe, a four-year letterman and Kent State recruit, was a finalist for IndyStar Mr. Basketball and an Indiana All-Star after finishing fourth in scoring in the program's history with 1,181 points. He also set program records with 953 rebounds and 375 blocked shots. Briscoe, the City Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior after leading the Tigers to a pair of City tournament titles, missed 10 games early in the season of his senior year due to an ankle sprain. He returned to averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots per game and help the Tigers to the Class 3A state finals. In 91 career games, he averaged 13.0 points and 10.5 rebounds. Briscoe was named to the honor roll all four years at Attucks. He has goals of playing in the NBA and working in sports management for his career. Sargent is a seven-time letterwinner in football and track and field and has plans to continue his track career at Indiana University. Sargent ran on the Trojans' 4x400 relay team that took second in state as a junior. He was the City champion in the 200 meters and 4x400 relay as a sophomore, junior and senior and won the 100 meters as a senior. Sargent was a sectional champion in the 200, 400 and on 4x400 relay team as a senior and helped his teams to City titles all four years. Sargent helped his football teams to state titles as a sophomore and junior. His 4x400 relay team set the school record this spring with a time of 3:15.38. Slaughter, a seven-time letterwinner in football and track and field at Cathedral, has plans to attend Tennessee State and play football in college. Slaughter was named the City football athlete of the year after catching 43 passes for 562 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. Over three seasons, he caught 102 passes for 996 yards and 13 TDs. Slaughter also passed for two TDs and averaged 32.5 yards on kickoff returns. In track and field, Slaughter is a three-time City champion and a five-time state qualifier as a sprinter. He ran on the 4x100 relay team as a junior that finished fourth in the state. Slaughter was Class 6A all-state in football and holds three state records in track.
Indianapolis Star
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'He's a winner.' Attucks' Mr. Basketball finalist Dezmon Briscoe makes college choice
Dezmon Briscoe is leaded to Kent State. Briscoe, the 6-9 Crispus Attucks star and IndyStar Mr. Basketball finalist, was previously committed to Iowa before former coach Fran McCaffery was let go. Briscoe took official visits to Kent State and College of Charleston earlier this month. Briscoe averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots in 19 games as a senior for Crispus Attucks after returning from an ankle injury. He helped the Tigers to a 22-7 record and Class 3A state finals appearance. The two-time City Player of the Year finished fourth on Attucks' all-time scoring list with 1,181 points and had 953 rebounds, 375 blocked shots, 158 assists and 61 steals over his four-year career with the Tigers. Briscoe led Attucks to two City tournament championships. 'Dezmon has had considerable growth this year,' Attucks coach Chris Hawkins said. 'He missed double-digit games but became a coach on the bench in order to help us get through those games. His passing, shooting, defense and talking gave us a big lift in the second half of the season and throughout the state tournament. He's a winner and does it the right way and has been a great ambassador for our school and program. It will be hard to replace him.' Kent State, coached by one-time Indiana assistant Rob Senderoff, is coming off a 24-12 season and National Invitational Tournament semifinal appearance. The Flashes made NCAA tournament appearances under Senderoff in 2017 and 2023.
Indianapolis Star
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Braylon Mullins is Mr. Basketball: 'One of those guys who is going to be talked about for a really long time'
Braylon Mullins led Greenfield-Central to a 23-4 record as a senior, averaging 32.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.7 steals per game. Mullins broke school records for career points, single-season points and single-game points and was named a McDonald's All American and Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana. Luke Meredith was the fire to Braylon Mullins ' ice. Before a game or coming out of a timeout during a key moment, the Greenfield-Central basketball coach would offer a few pointed words of advice to the Cougars' star. Mullins would nod and say, 'I got you, coach.' What followed, usually, was a great performance. The 6-6 UConn commit led Greenfield-Central to a 23-4 record as a senior, averaging 32.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.7 steals per game. He did it with remarkable efficiency, considering he was at the top of every opponent's scouting report, shooting 47.6% (88-for-185) from the 3-point line. Mullins broke the school record for career points (2,158), single-season points (887) and single-game points (52). He was named a McDonald's All American and Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana. Add this title to his impressive resume: The 2025 IndyStar Mr. Basketball. Mullins was crowned Mr. Basketball on Sunday night during the Indiana High School Sports Awards show, presented by Indiana Pacers, at Butler's Clowes Hall. Mullins was voted on 182 ballots from the state's coaches and media to outdistance finalists Tre Singleton of Jeffersonville (65 votes), Azavier Robinson of Lawrence North (49 votes) and Dezmon Briscoe of Crispus Attucks (15 votes). There were 344 overall votes with 14 players receiving at least one vote. 'It means the world,' Mullins said. 'There are really not enough words to speak about it. I feel like I did a lot for this community and being able to show that this basketball program is something and having that No. 1 jersey framed on the wall and everything that comes with it is a blessing. It wasn't even a goal of mine when I came into high school. I didn't have that on my mind at all. But once I saw I had a chance I thought, 'Why not go for it?'' The only thing that escaped Mullins was a sectional title. The Cougars were closing in on that goal the night of March 8 at Muncie Fieldhouse. But despite 38 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals from Mullins, Greenfield-Central could not close the door on Mt. Vernon and Luke Ertel in an 83-76 double overtime heartbreaker. As Mt. Vernon celebrated on the floor that night, Mullins sat on the bench in silence. His father, Josh, took a seat next to him for a few minutes before both retreated to the locker room. This was going to be the year Greenfield-Central ended its 27-year sectional title drought. The fact it was not still bothers both Mullins and Meredith, the latter who resigned after the season as coach but will remain on as the strength coach at Greenfield-Central. But in an era when many of the top-100 players in the country have opted for prep schools, Mullins decided to stay home. That experience, sectional title or not, was one Mullins said he would never trade. 'I felt like my best opportunity was staying home and playing for my community and my school and all my friends I've been playing with for a while,' Mullins said. 'It's something that I took advantage of and I'm happy I got to play my senior year in Greenfield in front of all these fans. Seeing my jersey on that wall 50 years from now is going to mean even more than it does right now.' It was not obvious, to Mullins or others, that he would be a Mr. Basketball candidate after his sophomore season at Greenfield-Central. He averaged 16.9 points and shot 47% from the 3-point line for a team that went 21-2 and lost to Anderson in the sectional. 'Braylon has always been special,' Meredith said. 'But this was not easy. There were a lot of growing pains, especially his freshman and sophomore year to become the player he was going to become. He's self-made. It wasn't something where it was just meant to be. This was something that was hard fought with a lot of blood, sweat and tears and a lot of hard work along the way that has made him who he is.' Mullins then injured his back at the most inopportune time late in his junior year. He tried to give it a go against New Palestine in the sectional, but that season also ended with a loss in the sectional championship game, completing the Cougars season at 24-1. But that junior season offered a glimpse of Mullins' potential. He still shot 3-pointers at a high rate (43%) but did more damage inside the arc on his way to averaging 25.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.2 assists. After his back healed, Mullins' recruitment exploded in the spring. During an Adidas 3SSB event in Bryan, Texas, North Carolina coached Hubert Davis watched Mullins shoot 6-fo-6 from the 3-point line and score 25 points. On Monday after the event, Davis called to offer Mullins a scholarship. That was just the start. Purdue, Kansas, Missouri, Stanford, Creighton, Michigan State, Alabama, UConn and Virginia offered in the next week. Those were on top of a list that already included Butler, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. When Mullins returned to play with his high school team in June, he looked the part of a five-star recruit. 'He was already really good as a junior,' said senior teammate and point guard Boston Willard. 'But it was just another level of confidence going into his senior year. Once he started picking up all these offers, he just started going up to a different level. He was more confident and more athletic. He got better as time progressed. You would see him do something and be like, 'How did he do that?' It wasn't normal. Any time you needed something, needed a bucket, he was going to get it for you anytime he wanted.' When the dust settled on his recruitment, Mullins narrowed it down to Indiana, North Carolina and UConn. His choice, coach Danny Hurley's UConn program, was not the most popular decision in Indiana. The Hoosiers made a coaching change after the season, going from Mike Woodson to Darian DeVries. Who knows how Mullins' recruitment might have worked out under different circumstances. But that is just water cooler talk at this point. 'I wanted to do something that challenges myself and I felt like this was the best opportunity to do that,' Mullins said. 'That's why I picked UConn. I wanted that challenge, and I want to prove everybody wrong. I know it's going to be tough. I'm going to be 13, 14 hours from home. But I knew that when I picked UConn. I'm excited for it now that it's almost here. They are going to push me to be my best and I'm willing to work for that.' Mullins, the first Mr. Basketball from Greenfield-Central, will play in the games during Indiana All-Stars week (the games vs. Kentucky are June 6 and 7) before leaving immediately to start his journey at UConn. 'He cares about what other people think but for him to make that decision and do what is best for him, regardless of what other people may say he should do, is what he should do,' Meredith said. 'He's blossomed into a great young man.' There are those who say Mullins 'didn't win anything' in high school. He understands that. He wanted a sectional title more than anyone. But Greenfield-Central was 68-7 in Mullins' last three years of high school. As a senior, he led the Cougars to wins over Ben Davis, New Palestine, Jeffersonville and Mt. Vernon, among others. No, it did not end how Mullins hoped it would. But there is a generation of kids in Greenfield who see the program in a different light. 'You think about how he changed the entire community,' Meredith said. 'It wasn't me or any other player — it was Braylon Mullins. You come to a game the last three years and it was sold out. That does not happen. It's never happened before. That's why I've said before and I'll say it again: he's the Greenfield GOAT. There are little kids here wearing UConn shirts and Braylon Mullins shirts because of him. He's one of those guys who is going to be talked about for a really long time.'
