Mt. Vernon’s Amhad Jarrard goes up for a slam dunk in the second quarter against Noblesville at Mt. Vernon High School on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Richard Sitler/Daily Reporter
FORTVILLE — From 10 years to seven to five, the gap between Hancock County’s Indiana Boys All-Stars is shrinking.
In 1969, Greenfield’s Mike Edwards became the first boys players from the county to be named an Indiana All-Star. Mt. Vernon’s Brian Gilpin was the second in 1992, followed by New Palestine’s John Allison in 1998 and Greenfield-Central’s John Hamilton in 2000.
Daniel Turner marked Mt. Vernon’s second boys player selected in program history — 10 years after Gilpin — and Michael Ertel was the third in 2017.
On Monday, Mt. Vernon’s Amhad Jarrard joined the county’s exclusive list, five years after Ertel.
As one of 13 players selected this year, Jarrard, an IUPUI commit, will join Indiana Mr. Basketball Braden Smith of Westfield on the 2022 IndyStar Indiana Boys All-Stars team.
“To be named an Indiana All-Star means a lot to me. It has been a big goal for me since I was little,” Jarrard remarked on becoming Mt. Vernon’s fourth Indiana Boys All-Star overall. “I remember almost every time me and coach (Ben) Rhoades walked by the jerseys hanging up in the school. Since freshman year, he asked me, ‘Amhad, do you wanna be up there one day?’ I always said, ‘Yes coach, that’s my goal.’”
Jarrard is the seventh boys player from the county to earn one of the state’s highest distinctions. Overall, the county has had 17 players named an Indiana All-Star since 1969, including 10 girls players — six from Mt. Vernon.
A total of 10 Marauders have been honored in the past 44 years, beginning with Elizabeth Skinner in 1978 and most recently Ertel.
“To be mentioned with Ertel means a lot because I know he means a lot to the community, and he had a big impact on it,” Jarrard said. “I’m just blessed to be able to be in this position.”
Jarrard was invited to participate in the Hoosier Basketball Magazine’s Boys Top 60 Senior workout this spring, along with his twin brother, Armon, who is also committed to IUPUI.
The Marauders’ seniors will be participants in this year’s Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s Top 100 workout and both earned IBCA all-state honors.
Armon Jarrard, a 2021 Underclassmen Large School All-State honoree, was named to the 2022 IBCA Senior All-State Supreme 15 team.
Amhad Jarrard, a 2021 IBCA Underclassmen All-State honorable mention, was recognized as a member of the 2022 IBCA Senior Large School All-State team.
Both were named All-Hoosier Heritage Conference in 2020-21 and 2021-22 and helped lead the Marauders to back-to-back league titles and sectional championships.
The seventh-ranked Marauders captured their third Class 4A sectional title all time this season and first repeat since winning three straight 3A championships from both 1985-87 and 1990-92.
The Marauders finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 22-3 record, winning 16 consecutive games before losing to Ben Davis in the Southport Regional semifinals, 52-50, on March 12.
Mt. Vernon’s 2021-22 HHC team title was the program’s first outright championship since 2009-10, fifth overall since 2008-09 and second repeat since going back-to-back in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
“The kids deserve it. They really played hard and worked hard for the last few years. I think anything they get is as good of a consolation prize that we can get for not winning in the regional,” Rhoades said. “I feel like when the team does well, the individual awards tend to come. You get recognized when you’re good and when you have a good record as a team. That’s something I’ve stressed the past couple of years. Team success leads to individual success.”
Individual success powered team success as well for the Marauders.
Amhad Jarrard averaged 14.6 points per game as a senior while contributing 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.
He averaged 11.6 ppg in his career through 77 varsity games and finished with 895 career points with 287 rebounds, 225 assists, 91 steals and 47 blocks. He shot 56 percent from the field over four years (333-for-593).
Armon Jarrard averaged 16.3 ppg as a senior with 3.9 rpg, 3.4 apg and 2.0 spg. For his career, he provided 13.3 ppg with 997 points in total, 119 3-pointers, 262 rebounds, 169 assists and 133 steals.
The twins often fed off each other’s game, and despite their potential for more, they focused on the team over their own individual statistics.
“If I asked one of them to score 30 points or more, they could, but they’re unselfish enough that they don’t do it,” Rhoades said. “They wanted their group to win. I know there are nights when Armon scored 26, but there were also games, like against Delta, when he scored zero. And he was OK with it because we won, and that’s how Amhad was, too. Winning was the most important thing to them.”
Mt. Vernon won 61 games over the past four seasons with 39 unfolding the past two campaigns with Amhad and Armon Jarrard both anchoring the starting lineup.
Amhad Jarrard posted a season-high 26 points in Mt. Vernon’s 65-61 victory over Hamilton Southeastern on Jan. 22. He also buried a game-winning 3-pointer to beat Zionsville, 44-41, on Dec. 28, 2021, when the visiting 4A Eagles were ranked No. 1 in the state.
“Amhad is probably one of the best four or five dunkers in the state, too,” Rhoades said. “He was fun to have at Mt. Vernon. I’m happy for him. I’m sure more will happen for him as he keeps going.”
Those chosen to the Indiana Boys All-Stars team will play three games in June — one exhibition game against the Indiana Junior All-Stars as well as home-and-home contests against the Kentucky All-Stars.
The Junior-Senior exhibition game is set for June 8 at a site to be announced. The first game against Kentucky will be June 10 at the Owensboro Sportscenter in Owensboro, Ky. The final game against Kentucky will be June 11 at Southport Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
All three dates will be doubleheaders with the Indiana Girls All-Stars. The Indiana Junior All-Stars will play two girl-boy doubleheaders this year — June 5 against the Kentucky Junior All-Stars at Bedford North Lawrence and June 8 against the Indiana seniors at a site to be announced.
The Indiana All-Stars program was founded in 1939. The Indiana Senior boys lead 101-44 in their series with Kentucky. The Indiana Senior boys lead 40-10 in games against the Indiana Junior boys.
“I’m looking forward to those games,” Amhad Jarrard said. “They should be fun and entertaining playing with some of the best players in the state.”
2022 IndyStar Indiana Boys All-Stars
No., Name, School;Height;Pos.;PPG;College Choice
1. Braden Smith, Westfield;6-0;G;18.3;Purdue
2. Amhad Jarrard, Mt. Vernon (Fortville);6-4;G;14.6;IUPUI
3. Tayshawn Comer, Cathedral;6-1;G;16.2;Eastern Kentucky
4. Travis Grayson, Chesterton;5-10;G;19.0;undecided
5. Peter Suder, Carmel;6-5;G;13.6;Bellarmine
6. Connor Essegian, Central Noble;6-4;G;26.5;Wisconsin
7. Ryan Conwell, Pike;6-3;G;22.6;South Florida
8. C.J. Gunn, Lawrence North;6-5;G;23.5;Indiana
9. Jalen Jackson, Fort Wayne Northrop;6-2;G;25.8;Illinois-Chicago
10. Tae Davis, Warren Central;6-8;F;22.0;undecided
11. Branden Northern, Silver Creek;6-0;G;24.9;undecided
12. Jaxon Edwards, Cathedral;6-6;G;10.9;Murray State
13. Javan Buchanan, Lafayette Jeff;6-7;F;20.5;Indiana Wesleyan
14. *Jalen Washington, Gary West;6-9;F;12.5;North Carolina
Head coach: Chad Johnston, South Bend Adams
Assistant coaches: Steve Lynch, Brownsburg; Rob Yoder, Westview
*Injured in 2021-22 season (PPG from 2020-21); unable to play in All-Star games
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 p.m.; boys, to follow; admission, $8 at the door for adults and school-aged students (preschool children are free).
Wednesday, June 8 — Junior-Senior All-Star game at Site TBA — girls, 6 p.m.; boys, to follow; admission, $8 at the door for adults and school-aged students (preschool children are free).
Friday, June 10 — Indiana at Owensboro Sportscenter (1215 Hickman Ave., Owensboro, KY 42301) — girls, 6:30 p.m.; boys, to follow. Ticket information TBA.
Saturday, June 11 — Indiana vs. Kentucky at Southport Fieldhouse (971 E. Banta Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46227) — girls, 5 p.m.; boys, to follow. Tickets: $10, $25 and $75. Ordering information, TBA.
