Make no mistake about it, the abundance of talent in the state of Indiana when it comes to high school basketball is unbelievable. It was on full display Wednesday night inside the Varsity Fieldhouse at Brownsburg High School.
The j=Junior All Stars gave the bigger Senior All Star squad all they could handle on Wednesday night, going bucket for bucket with their older counterparts but in the end, the bigger and stronger seniors were too much as they pulled away for a 127-106 victory.
Perhaps the strongest showing during the game was by none other than Mr. Basketball himself. Caleb Furst of Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. The Purdue recruit was dominant in all phases of the game on Wednesday night when he was on the floor. Scoring 22 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out five assists. Furst went 9-14 from the floor and showcased flashes of his game that will have Purdue fans very excited. Furst is everything and then some. Well deserving of the title Mr. Basketball.
Fellow senior teammate and Purdue recruit Trey Kauffman of Silver Creek was also a strong force on the inside for the seniors. He scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a pair of blocks. Kauffman went 9-13 from the floor. The size of these two future Boilermakers were just too much to handle on the inside for the smaller Junior All Stars.
Another Senior standout was Blake Wesley. The 6-5 guard from Riley High School in South Bend, finsished with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Notre Dame recruit displayed an all around game by scoring from both inside and outside. His athleticism was top notch. He is a complete guard who has great length and court vision and can defend multiple positions on the floor.
The seniors were lead off the bench by Jalen Blackmon. The sharpshooter from Marion High School who will be playing at Grand Canyon University hit 5-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points. He provided the spark off the bench as he hit three three pointers in a row at one stretch in the first half and then hit back to back three pointers at one point in the second half. He was the best three point shooter on the floor for the seniors. Outside of Blackmon, the team went just 4-18 from three point range.
Also off the bench for the Senior All Stars were a pair of Butler Bulldog recruits. Pierce Thomas of Brownsburg and Jayden Taylor of Perry Meridian. Both had quiet nights on the offensive side but their defense was on display as they were around the ball and forcing bad passes from the juniors and they were also able to set up their teammates in the open floor in transition. Thomas finished with four points, four rebounds and three assists. Taylor finished with six points, five rebounds and three assists and two steals.
The Junior All Stars were led by Leland Walker off the bench. Walker, who is a 6'2 guard from North Central High School, was the leading scorer in the whole game in with 24 points. Walker displayed his scoring ability while shooting 4-6 from the three point line and 8-10 from the floor. He displayed a knack of getting out in transition on the fast break and going straight to the basket and he can also stop on a dime and let it fly from the three point line with accuracy. That's something his current head coach and former Mr. Basketball winner Jason Gardner was a specialist at in his days at North Central High School. Walker could see more high major college offers in his future this summer. He currently has offers from Providence, Xavier, DePaul, VCU, Ohio and Florida International, Ball State and Miami of Ohio.
Tayshawn Coomer was also standout for the juniors. The Cathedral guard scored 16 points off the bench while going 7-11 overall from the floor. He has offers from Ball State, Miami of Ohio, IUPUI and Butler currently but his stock is sure to rise and there should be more major offers headed his way as he approaches his senior season. He finished last season shooting 40 percent from the three point line and he averages 5.5 assists per game so he plays an all around point guard. One who scores but also looks for opportunities for his teammates.
Other standouts for the Junior All Stars included Jalen Jackson from Fort Wayne Carroll who had a strong first half with 14 points and pair of three pointers. Jackson who has division one offers currently from IUPUI and Purdue Fort Wayne, finished with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Senior All Stars will be back in action this Friday and Saturday night when they prepare to take on the Kentucky All Stars. The first of the of those games will be played in Owensboro, Kentucky and then the rematch will be held on Saturday evening at Southport Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Last year's event between these two squads was cancelled due to the covid pandemic. The series dates back all the way to 1940. Indiana holds a 99-44 advantage overall over Kentucky.
The annual showcase of the best basketball players in this state put on a great show for the crowd in what felt like a normal evening for high school basketball for the first time in a while. Their were coaches and recruiters in the stands keeping an eye on the future talent that was showcasing their abilities. Parents and family members were cheering on their kids. The fans were enjoying the moment to see some of the best players from the state of Indiana. Overall, it was just a great atmosphere because as everybody knows, in 49 states it's just basketball......but this is Indiana.
