The Purdue Boilermakers and Head Coach Matt Painter have one of the best recruiting classes in 2026 ranked #5 behind only Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, and Maryland. Leading that group is Mt. Vernon senior Luke Ertel, ranked as the 41st player in the country, 4th at his position of combo guard, and #1 in the […]
The Purdue Boilermakers and Head Coach Matt Painter have one of the best recruiting classes in 2026 ranked #5 behind only Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, and Maryland. Leading that group is Mt. Vernon senior Luke Ertel, ranked as the 41st player in the country, 4th at his position of combo guard, and #1 in the state of Indiana. The accolades have continued to grow for the high scoring guard as he averages 25.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field.
On Thursday, the Naismith Awards announced their mid-season watch list for the high school player of the year and Ertel joins an impressive list of players from around the country. Ertel is the only player from Indiana but joins fellow B1G commits Quinn Costello (Michigan), Jasiah Jervis (Michigan State), and Anthony Thompson (Ohio State).
Ertel will look to help replace the absence of what will be reflective looked at the most dynamic scoring backcourt in Purdue history in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. He will be joined next season by Gicarri Harris, Omar Mayer, CJ Cox, and highly regarded redshirt freshman Antoine West in the search to maintain Purdue at the elite level they have been at for the better part of the last decade.
Category: General Sports
