Purdue gets commitment from Mt. Vernon's Luke Ertel, one of Indiana's top 2026 players

Mt. Vernon junior point guard Luke Ertel committed to Purdue basketball on Tuesday, posting on X , "Staying in Black and Gold."

The 6-2 Ertel played in just the final six games of his sophomore season due to a football injury but is one of the top in-state players in the 2026 class . He averaged 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his limited time, shooting 9-for-24 from the 3-point line.

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The left-handed point guard played at a high level as a freshman, averaging 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game for a team that went 16-9 and played in the sectional championship game.

Matt Painter watched him a couple times this summer at the Charlie Hughes Shootout, where Ertel impressed. Ertel also had offers from Butler, Kent State, Toledo and UAB, where his brother Michael played after starring at Louisiana Monroe. At Charlie Hughes, he had 22 points in a close loss to Crispus Attucks, then went for 15 in a win over Zionsville Ertel is one of the best point guards in the state regardless of class.

Luke Ertel basketball highlights

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue gets commitment from Mt. Vernon's Luke Ertel, one of Indiana's top 2026 players