The Indiana Junior All-Star basketball teams have been announced. And three Fort Wayne stars have been selected; Blackhawk Christian’s Caleb Furst, Homestead’s Luke Goode, and Snider’s Michael Eley. The Junior All-Star Games are scheduled for June 1st and June 3rd. The Indy Star released the rosters on Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot because Luke’s a really good player, and so is Caleb,” Eley said. “So I’ll be looking forward to that a lot, just playing with really good players like them.”
According to the Indy Star; Furst will be part of the Core Group which plays both dates, and Goode and Eley will be part of the Red Group which teams up with the Core Group on June 3rd.
Furst led Blackhawk Christian in points per game (22.1) and rebounds per game (13.4) this season. He announced his commitment to Purdue on March 2nd.
“It’s a huge honor to be named a Junior All-Star,” Furst said. There’s a lot of great competition in Indiana, so to be named an all-star among all the other great players is a great honor.”
Furst was a key contributor to the Braves state championship run last year. He recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) in the title game. He has had plenty of standout teammates; including Frank Davidson who graduated last year, as well as Zane Burke and Marcus Davidson who are part of this year’s junior class.
“I love playing at Blackhawk, [and] to be able to play for Coach [Marc] Davidson and with all my teammates is an amazing experience,” Furst said. “Those guys are some of my best friends, so to be able to grow and compete with them is special.”
Goode was Homestead’s leading scorer this year (17.6 ppg) and also tied with Zak Krueger (who was a Junior All-Star last year) for the lead in assists (3.1 per game). Goode led the Spartans in scoring in each of the last two seasons, averaging 14.9 points per game last year.
“Growing up watching basketball and seeing guys before me like Caleb Swanigan get that honor [of being named a Junior All-Star], it’s pretty cool and something that I’ve always kind of wanted to do as an Indiana high school basketball player,” Goode said.
Goode has played at the varsity level since his freshman season. He was part of a Homestead team that won sectionals in 2018 and then won 21 games last year.
“Three years at the varsity level have been really enjoyable,” Goode said. “We’ve had some ups and downs. This year was definitely not the way we planned it to be. But my high school career as a whole so far has been very enjoyable, and I’m very blessed with how it’s gone.”
Eley was the leading scorer at Snider this year (21.2 ppg). He was also the Panthers’ second-leading rebounder (6.0 rebounds per game) behind senior Dillon Duff. This year he helped lead Snider to its first sectional title since 2009.
“There’s a lot of big names coming out of [the Junior All-Star teams], and I’m really blessed to be chosen as one of them,” Eley said.
Eley has averaged double figures in scoring all three years of high school so far. He has greatly enjoyed his career at Snider, in part because of the chemistry he has established with his teammates; including Duff and Isaac Farnsworth.
“Playing at Snider; it’s really fun,” Eley said. “I love playing with those guys, like Dillon and Isaac. And they just get me better playing with them. On and off the court, we have a good relationship.”
Furst and Goode have played AAU ball together for a long time. Last summer they were part of the Indy Heat 17U Nike Elite Youth Basketball team.
“I’ve been playing AAU with Caleb since second grade, so I’ve been playing with him, I’m used to playing with him,” Goode said. “But it’ll be fun playing with Michael. I haven’t really played with him, only against him. So being on this team together will be really fun.”
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, various businesses; including the SportONE Parkview Fieldhouse, Spiece Fieldhouse, and Planet Fitness; are currently closed. But the players still plan to do as much as they can to prepare for the games.
“I’m just going to try and prepare in any way I can, whether it’s shooting in the driveway or going to a gym and shooting/lifting there,” Furst said. “Wherever I can find an opportunity, I’m going to try and use it.”
