Breaking Down Indiana All-Star Team Candidates

<div class="subscriber-preview"> <p>The 2021 class is one of the deeper in-state classes in recent years and with that will come a difficult decision when narrowing it down to name the Indiana All-Star team, with 13 players making the cut.</p> <p>Those chosen to the team typically play in three games. One against the Indiana Junior All-Stars and then two games against the Kentucky All-Stars. Last year's games were cancelled due to COVID. This has been a yearly tradition in the state of Indiana since the 1930's.</p> <p>We are going to break it up into different tiers of candidates, anywhere from guys who should be 'locks' to some names on the outside looking in. </p> <p><strong>Tier 1:</strong></p> </div> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="529561" first="Caleb" last="Furst"] (Blackhawk Christian; PF)</p> <p>The Purdue signee is averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds per game this season for Blackhawk Christian and is one of the most dominant forwards in the state and one of the best players in the country.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="529572" first="Trey" last="Kaufman"] (Silver Creek; PF)</p> <p>Teaming up with Furst at Purdue will be Kaufman. He is averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists for Silver Creek. He missed most of the first half of the season to an ankle/foot injury but has been exceptional since retuning. </p> <p>He is the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="569313" first="Blake" last="Wesley"] (South Bend Riley; SG)</p> <p>At times Wesley can be one of the forgotten members of the talented trio sitting atop the state rankings. The Notre Dame signee is averaging 27 points, 6 rebounds and nearly 3 steals per contest for South Bend Riley.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="647199" first="Luke" last="Brown"] (Blackford; SG)</p> <p>The Stetson signee is averaging 32 points, 6 assists and 3 steals per game and is one of the most talented scorers the state has every seen. He recently became the No. 5 overall scorer all-time in the state of Indiana.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="783143" first="Brooks" last="Barnhizer"] (Lafayette Jefferson; SF)</p> <p>Having one of the best statistical seasons in recent years, Barnhizer is definitely a name that flies under-the-radar at times due to some of the competition level he plays against. Despite that, the Northwestern signee is averaging 35 points, 11 rebounds and close to 7 assists per game this season. </p> <p><strong>Tier 2:</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="529568" first="Luke" last="Goode"] (Homestead; SG/SF)</p> <p>Goode has seen some of his spotlight taken away due to his new teammate in [player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"]. However, the Illinois signee is still averaging 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists per game for an undefeated Homestead squad.</p> <p>’JR’ [player_tooltip player_id="647193" first="Douglas" last="Konieczny"] (South Bend St. Joseph; SG)</p> <p>Soon-to-be teammates at Notre Dame with Wesley, Konieczny broke St. Joseph’s all-time scoring record recently of over 1,700 total points. He is averaging 31 points this season. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="874110" first="Jalen" last="Blackmon"] (Marion; PG)</p> <p>The all-time leading scorer at Marion, Blackmon is averaging 31 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season. The Grand Canyon signee has been exceptional for his whole career. </p> <p><b>Tier 3:</b></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="874109" first="Pierce" last="Thomas"] (Brownsburg; SF)</p> <p>The only thing that has kept Thomas from being a sure lock is Brownsburg’s record. Hanging around .500 for most of the season, Thomas has been steady as always. The Butler signee is averaging 23 points and 6 rebounds this season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="569304" first="Jayden" last="Taylor"] (Perry Meridian; SG)</p> <p>Another Butler signee, Taylor is averaging 26 points and 6 rebounds per game for Perry Meridian. He has helped improved the team’s record drastically from a season ago.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="920948" first="Isaiah" last="Stafford"] (Crispus Attucks; PG)</p> <p>After transferring from Illinois at the beginning of the season due to the state pushing back the start date for high school athletics, Stafford has been a terrific player for Attucks. He is averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game so far this season. He is not only one of the best point guards in the class, but one of the top all-around players.</p> <p><strong>Tier 4:</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="783180" first="Shamar" last="Avance"] (Lawrence North; PG)</p> <p>Avance has been one of the best surprises this season and a main reason for that has been the work he put in over the summer. He is averaging around 19 points and 3 assists per game this season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="783145" first="Gus" last="Etchison"] (Hamilton Heights; PG)</p> <p>The Western Michigan signee is averaging 32 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game and despite just 6-feet tall, he is one of the top scorers in the state. </p> <div class="subscriber-only"> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="569321" first="Kooper" last="Jacobi"] (Silver Creek; SF)</p> <p>The teammate of [player_tooltip player_id="529572" first="Trey" last="Kaufman"], Jacobi is a terrific secondary option for Silver Creek. The Toledo signee is averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was a main reason for the success of Silver Creek while Kaufman was out due to injury.</p> </div> <div class="subscriber-only"> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="874112" first="Blake" last="Sisley"] (Heritage Hills; C)</p> <p>Sisley set the Heritage Hills all-time rebound record earlier this season and has been a huge reason for the success of the program the past few seasons. The Evansville signee is averaging 22 points and 7 rebounds a game this year. </p> </div> <p><strong>Other Notable Names:</strong></p> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="783147" first="Lincoln" last="Hale"] (Linton-Stockton; SG)</em></p> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="783152" first="Quimari" last="Peterson"] (Gary West Side; PG)</em></p> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="874131" first="Brian" last="Waddell"] (Carmel; SF)</em></p> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="830575" first="DJ" last="Hughes"] (Lawrence North; PF)</em></p> <div class="subscriber-only"> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="783162" first="Vincent" last="Brady"] (Cathedral; SG)</em></p> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="783158" first="Curt" last="Hopf"] (Barr-Reeve; PF)</em></p> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id="783164" first="Isaiah" last="Swope"] (Castle; PG)</em></p> </div>