The 2024 IndyStar Mr. Basketball race has officially been reduced to six candidates.
The Mr. Basketball winner will be announced Tuesday at the Indiana High School Sports Awards Banquet. Sponsored by the Indiana Pacers, Mr. Basketball is awarded to the senior who receives the most votes from the state's high school coaches and media.
Buy tickets:Join us at the Indiana High School Sports Awards and see who wins
The 2024 Mr. Basketball finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Jack Venter, Brownstown Central
The 6-6 Purdue freshman averaged 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists in leading Brownstown Central to its first Class 2A state championship in program history. Venter shot 44% from the 3-point line. Venter finished his high school career with 2,550 points, ranking 11th on the state's all-time scoring list. He had 25 points, six rebounds and four assists in Brownstown Central's 55-36 win over Wapahani in the state championship.
Florrie Bidunga, Kokomo
The 6-9 Vidunga was named Indiana's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and senior and was named to the McDonald's All-American team. The Kansas freshman averaged 19.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.4 blocked shots and 3.2 assists per game, helping Kokomo to a 24-5 record and a Class 4A district appearance. He helped the Wildcats reach the state finals as a junior. Vidunga totaled 1,609 points, 1,132 rebounds and 402 blocked shots during his three seasons at Kokomo, shooting 80.3 percent from the field.
Indiana All-Star:The 13-man men's roster that will face Kentucky is as follows:
Micah Davis, Franklin
The 6-2 Eastern Kentucky State averaged 25.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, leading Franklin to an 18-5 season and Class 4A sectional championship. Davis shot 53 percent from the field, including 37.4 percent (43 of 115) from the 3-point line. Davis totaled 1,296 points in three seasons and set a school record at Franklin College with 43 points in a game. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists last season and was a key member of the Junior All-Star team.
Keenan Garner, Fishers
At 6-6 IU Indianapolis, he averaged 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as Fishers finished 29-1 and won the Class 4A state championship his senior season. Garner had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the state championship win over Ben Davis. He shot 58% from the field on the season. Garner, who transferred to Indiana from Germany before his junior year, averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.
Evan Heywood, Brebeuf Jesuit
Haywood, a 6-4 freshman at Butler, averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game for a team that finished 18-6 and led to Class 3A sectional champion Guerin Catholic. They were very close to losing in 2 overtimes. Haywood shot 37.7 percent (78 of 207) from the 3-point line as a senior. In his junior year, he averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. Haywood had 822 points and 259 rebounds over two seasons.
KJ Windham, Ben Davis
The 6-4 Northwestern University freshman averaged 15.4 points, 2.2 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for Ben Davis' team that went 23-6 and reached the Class 4A state finals. He shot 41.5 percent (59 of 142) from the 3-point line as a senior. Windham ranks fourth all-time in points with 1,151 points during the Ben Davis era and was a member of the Giants' Class 4A state title team as a junior.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenlieb at (317) 444-6649.