Furst Named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball
Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Caleb Furst has earned the top individual award in Indiana high school boys basketball.
Furst, a 6-10 senior forward from Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, has been named IndyStar Indiana Mr. Basketball for 2021 in online voting of media and boys’ varsity coaches conducted by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and All-Star game director Mike Broughton.
The Mr. Basketball result allows Furst to join Lawrence North senior Jayla Smith to wear No. 1 jerseys for the Indiana All-Stars in their annual series with Kentucky. Smith’s selection as 2021 Indiana Miss Basketball, after a vote of media and girls’ varsity coaches, was announced last month.
The Mr. Basketball and Miss Basketball awards go to the respective top boys’ basketball senior and top girls’ basketball senior in the state. The Mr. Basketball award is part of the IndyStar Indiana All-Star program that dates to 1939. The Miss Basketball award, along with the girls All-Stars, was added to the All-Star program in 1976.
The remainder of the 2021 Boys All-Star team is expected to be announced next week. The full 2021 Girls All-Star team also was announced last month.
Furst earned the boys’ top honor after being named on 73 ballots submitted to Broughton during late March and early April. Trey Kaufman-Renn of Silver Creek was runner-up in the voting with 47 votes. Luke Brown of Blackford placed third with 40 votes. Other finalists were Brooks Barnhizer of Lafayette Jeff, Shamar Avance of Lawrence North and J.R. Konieczny of South Bend St. Joseph.
A Purdue University recruit, Furst averaged 21.4 points, 14.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks as a senior while leading Blackhawk Christian to a 28-3 season that included the Class 2A state championship. He converted 64.0 percent on field goals (260-of-406) and 84.2 percent on free throws (133-of-158) as the Braves captured their second state crown in three seasons. They also captured the Class A trophy in 2019 and no title was determined in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic that stopped the tournament after sectional play.
For his career, Furst totaled a school records of 2,067 points, 1,254 rebounds and 213 blocked shots while Blackhawk Christian amassed an aggregate 105-11 record over his four seasons (26-3, 28-2, 23-3 and 28-3). He averaged 18.7 points and 8.9 rebounds as a sophomore and followed with norms of 22.1 points and 13.4 rebounds as a junior. Furst is the first Mr. Basketball winner and the just second player to become an Indiana All-Star from his school, joining Russell Byrd in 2010.
Furst also is the 12th Mr. Basketball recipient — but just the second in the past 30 years — bound for Purdue. He joins Joe Sexson (1952), Willie Eison (1955), Dennis Brady (1964), Billy Keller (1965), Rick Mount (1966), Kyle Macy (1975), Dan Palombizio (1981), Troy Lewis (1984), Woody Austin (1988), Glenn Robinson (1991) and Caleb Swanigan (2015) as Mr. Basketball winners who joined the Boilermakers.
Mr. Basketball and Miss Basketball traditionally wear No. 1 jerseys for the respective Indiana Boys All-Stars and Indiana Girls All-Stars in the annual series with Kentucky. The All-Stars will face the Indiana Junior All-Stars in an exhibition doubleheader on June 9 at Brownsburg High School. The All-Stars follow with their home-and-home doubleheaders with Kentucky — June 11 at the Owensboro SportsCenter in Owensboro, Ky., and June 12 at Southport Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.