(Braden Smith pictured in the spring of 2021)

 

On Saturday, Westfield's Braden Smith won the 2022 Mr. Basketball vote. Smith edged Fletcher Loyer by 19 votes, while CJ Gunn, Connor Essegian, and Travis Grayson followed in the voting.

 

FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Braden Smith has earned the top individual award in Indiana high school boys basketball.

      Smith, a 6-0 guard from Westfield High School, has been named IndyStar Indiana Mr. Basketball for 2022 in online voting of media and boys’ varsity coaches conducted by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and All-Star game director Mike Broughton, it was announced Saturday (April 2).

      The Mr. Basketball result means Smith will wear the No. 1 jersey for the Indiana All-Stars in their annual series with Kentucky. The Mr. Basketball award goes to the top boys’ basketball senior in the state. The Mr. Basketball and Miss Basketball awards are 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 2022 Boys All-Star team and the 2022 Boys Junior All-Star team will be announced later. The 2022 Miss Basketball, 2022 Girls All-Star team and 2022 Girls Junior All-Star team were announced last month.

      Smith earned the boys' top honor after receiving 128 votes submitted to Broughton in balloting that ran from March 11 through March 29. Fletcher Loyer of Homestead was runner-up with 109 votes. C.J. Gunn of Lawrence North finished third with 57 votes. Connor Essegian of Central Noble placed fourth with 41 votes and Travis Grayson of Chesterton finished fifth with 16 votes. In total, 11 players received at least one Mr. Basketball vote.

      A Purdue University recruit, Smith averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.9 steals as a senior while leading Westfield to a 22-7 season that included the Shamrocks' first sectional championship. He converted 50.7 percent on field goals (139 of 274), including 41.9 percent from 3-point range (52 of 124). He also sank 75.3 percent of his free throws (55 of 73).

      Smith is the 13th Mr. Basketball recipient -- and second in two 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), Caleb Swanigan (2015) and Caleb Furst (2021) as Mr. Basketball winners who joined the Boilermakers.

      For his career, Smith totaled a school-record 1,629 points while adding 476 rebounds, a school-record 453 assists and 158 steals. He tallied a career-high 41 points against Noblesville in the sectional as a junior. He also notched single-game bests of 10 rebounds on four occasions, 10 assists on three occasions and nine steals against Cathedral as a senior in the Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic.

      Smith's career point total stands ninth on Hamilton County all-time boys basketball scoring list, and he becomes the sixth Mr. Basketball honoree from Hamilton County. The previous Mr. Basketball winners from Hamilton County are Billy Shepherd of Carmel in 1968, David Shepherd of Carmel in 1970, Tom Coverdale of Noblesville in 1998, Gary Harris of Hamilton Southeastern in 2012 and Zak Irvin of Hamilton Southeastern in 2013.

      Smith is the first boy just the fourth player from Westfield High School to earn a spot on the Indiana All-Stars. Other Shamrocks previously selected to the All-Stars, all girls, have been Jenn Anderson in 2013, Kayla Brown in 2014 and Alyssa Crockett in 2022.

      While in high school, Smith was chosen IBCA Senior Supreme 15 this season. Previously, he was voted IBCA Underclass Large School All-State as a sophomore and IBCA Underclass Supreme 15 as a junior. He also was selected first-team all-Hoosier Crossroads Conference as a sophomore, junior and senior. 

       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 8 at a site to be announced. The All-Stars follow with their home-and-home doubleheaders with Kentucky -- June 10 at the Owensboro SportsCenter in Owensboro, Ky., and June 11 at Southport Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. 

           A list of Mr. Basketball honorees follows.

  

Indiana Mr. Basketball honorees

1939: George Crowe, Franklin

1940: Ed Schienbein, Southport

1941: John Bass, Greenwood

1942: Bud Brown, Muncie Burris

1943: not awarded (World War II)

1944: not awarded (World War II)

1945: Tom Schwartz, Kokomo

1946: Johnny Wilson, Anderson

1947: Bill Garrett, Shelbyville

1948: Bob Masters, Lafayette Jeff

1949: Dee Monroe, Madison

1950: Pat Klein, Marion

1951: Tom Harrold, Muncie Central

1952: Joe Sexson, Indianapolis Tech

1953: Hallie Bryant, Indianapolis Attucks

1954: Bobby Plump, Milan

1955: Wilson Eison, Gary Roosevelt

1956: Oscar Robertson, Indianapolis Attucks

1957: Joan Coalmon, South Bend Central

1958: Mike McCoy, Fort Wayne South

1959: Jimmy Rayl, Kokomo

1960: Ron Bonham, Muncie Central

1961: Tom VanArsdale, Indianapolis Manual, and Dick VanArsdale, Indianpolis Manual

1962: Larry Humes, Madison

1963: Rick Jones, Muncie Central

1964: Dennis Brady, Lafayette Jeff

1965: Bill Keller, Indianapolis Washington

1966: Rick Mount, Lebanon

1967: Willie Long, Fort Wayne South

1968: Billy Shepherd, Carmel

1969: George McGinnis, Indianapolis Washington

1970: Dave Shepherd, Carmel

1971: Mike Flynn, Jeffersonville

1972: Phil Cox, Connersville

1973: Kent Benson, New Castle

1974: Steve Collier, Southwestern (Hanover), and Roy Taylor, Anderson

1975: Kyle Macy, Peru

1976: Dave Colescott, Marion

1977: Ray Tolbert, Anderson Madison Heights

1978: David Magley, South Bend LaSalle

1979: Steve Bouchie, Washington

1980: Jim Master, Fort Wayne Harding

1981: Dan Palombizio, Michigan City Rogers

1982: Roger Harden, Valparaiso

1983: Steve Alford, New Castle

1984: Delray Brooks, Michigan City Rogers, and Troy Lewis, Anderson,

1985: Jeff Grose, Warsaw

1986: Mark Jewell, Lafayette Jeff

1987: Jay Edwards, Marion, and Lyndon Jones, Marion

1988: Woody Austin, Richmond

1989: Pat Graham, Floyd Central

1990: Damon Bailey, Bedford North Lawrence

1991: Glenn Robinson, Gary Roosevelt

1992: Charles Macon, Michigan City Elston

1993: Maurice “Kojak” Fuller, Anderson

1994: Bryce Drew, Valparaiso

1995: Damon Frierson, Ben Davis

1996: Kevin Ault, Warsaw

1997: Luke Recker, DeKalb

1998: Tom Coverdale, Noblesville

1999: Jason Gardner, North Central

2000: Jared Jeffries, Bloomington North

2001: Chris Thomas, Pike

2002: Sean May, Bloomington North

2003: Justin Cage, Pike

2004: A.J. Ratliff, North Central

2005: Luke Zeller, Washington

2006: Greg Oden, Lawrence North

2007: Eric Gordon, North Central

2008: Tyler Zeller, Washington

2009: Jordan Hulls, Bloomington South

2010: DeShaun Thomas, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers

2011: Cody Zeller, Washington

2012: Gary Harris, Hamilton Southeastern

2013: Zak Irvin, Hamilton Southeastern

2014: Trey Lyles, Indianapolis Tech

2015: Caleb Swanigan, Homestead

2016: Kyle Guy, Lawrence Central

2017: Kris Wilkes, North Central

2018: Romeo Langford, New Albany

2019: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Center Grove

2020: Anthony Leal, Bloomington South

2021: Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian

2022: Braden Smith, Westfield

 

^^^

 

2022 IndyStar Indiana All-Star key dates

                Sunday, June 5 — Indiana Juniors vs. Kentucky Juniors at Bedford North Lawrence High School (595 Stars Blvd., Bedford, IN 47421) — girls, 2:00 p.m.; boys, to follow; admission, $8 at the door for adults and school-aged students (pre-school children are free).

                Wednesday, June 8 — Junior-Senior All-Star game at Site TBA — girls, 6:00 p.m.; boys, to follow; $8 at the door for adults and school-aged students (pre-school children are free).

                Friday, June 10 — Indiana at Owensboro Sportscenter (1215 Hickman Ave., Owensboro, KY 42301) — girls, 5:30 p.m. CDT (6:30 p.m. EST); boys, to follow. Ticket information TBA.

                Saturday, June 11 — Indiana vs. Kentucky at Southport Fieldhouse (971 E. Banta Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46227) — girls, 5:00 p.m.; boys, to follow. Tickets: $10, $25 and $75. Ordering information, TBA.