Boys Basketball
Caleb Furst Named First-Team All-State
Even with the shorted boys’ basketball season, it’s been a great year for Blackhawk Christian’s Caleb Furst. He was recently selected to Indiana’s AP All-State team. He was received First-Team honors. The Indy Star released the All-State team on Friday. Furst joins fellow first-teamers Trey Kaufman (Silver Creek), Tony Perkins (Lawrence North), Dre Davis (Lawrence Central), and Anthony Leal (Bloomington South).
“It’s definitely a huge honor to be named that, and it means a lot,” Furst said.
Being named First-Team All-State is one of several honors Furst has received. Back in March he was named a Junior All-Star and selected to the All-State Supreme 15. Unfortunately, the Junior All-Star games have since been canceled.
Indeed, the Braves have a star-studded team. But Furst led them in several categories. He was Blackhawk’s leading scorer (22.1 points per game), as well as their leading rebounder (13.4 per game), and their leading shot-blocker (2.0 per game).
“I’ve just been trying to continue to grow each year in whatever aspect I can, either offensively or defensively,” Furst said. “My coaches and teammates have done a great job of continually pushing me and that’s really helped.”
“Caleb is a unique blend of size, strength & athleticism, and basketball skill,” head coach Marc Davidson said. “His best asset is the fact that he makes everyone around him better-which is, in my opinion, the best thing which can be said of a basketball player.”
Furst was a huge contributor for the Braves last year as well. He averaged 18.7 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. Coach Davidson has been impressed with his continued growth.
“He has made significant progress each year in his basketball skill, strength, athleticism, basketball IQ, and he has made huge strides in intangible areas such as leadership and toughness,” Davidson said.
Furst and the Braves finished 23-3 and went on to win the Manchester Sectional. It was their sixth sectional title in seven years.
“I loved playing basketball this season with some of my closest friends, not just on the court but off the court too,” Furst said. “I think we all played great together and it was a great experience.”
One of Furst’s best accomplishments this year was when he reached the 1000 career point milestone. He accomplished that feat in the Braves’ win against Culver Academies. He put up 32 points in that game. Furst’s accomplishment was recognized after the game had ended.
“It was very honoring and [it] meant a lot for that to happen,” Furst said.
Last year, Furst and the Braves a state championship, the first in program history. They knocked off Barr-Reeve 60-43, and Furst put up a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).
“It was definitely a big achievement for our whole team,” Furst said. “It was something we had been pushing for all year, so to be able to get it was really cool.”
Furst announced his commitment to Purdue on March 2nd. But since he is a junior, the Braves are excited that he stands to return next year.
“We are thrilled to have Caleb back for his senior year,” Davidson said. “With the way this year ended, I expect him to come out with great focus next season.”
Two other Fort Wayne basketball players received All-State High Honorable Mentions. They were Homestead’s Luke Goode and Snider’s Dillon Duff. Goode and Duff were both double-digit scorers; each averaging 17.6 points per game. Like Furst, Goode was named to the Supreme 15 earlier this year. Meanwhile, Duff received Large School All-State recognition back in March.
