MONROE, LOUISIANA — True freshman Michael Ertel caught a pass from one of his teammates and glanced up at the scoreboard; just a few seconds remained in the University of Louisiana-Monroe conference game against Georgia Southern, and the Warhawks still were down by two.
In a last ditch blitz, Ertel drove in and hit a layup just before the clock hit zero, sending the game into overtime and keeping his team in the fight.
Learning to score off the dribble is a skill Ertel spent hours perfecting during his first season of Division I basketball, associate head coach Ryan Cross said. Expanding his skill set beyond outside shooting was crucial in helping him compete alongside the best, and it was those improvements that earned him top accolades along the way.
Ertel, a Mt. Vernon graduate and current point guard at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, was recently named the Sunbelt Conference Freshman of the year. The Hancock County native was the first player to win the award since ULM joined the Sunbelt conference, Cross said.
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Born to play
Ertel’s average height of 6-foot-2 inches wasn’t enough to make him stand out from the crowd, his mother, Amy, said. Ertel’s basketball career wasn’t something that was just given to him; it was the result of years of tenacious work, she said.
Since he was in fourth grade, his mother said she can remember him spending hours in the backyard practicing his shooting and dribbling. In high school, he’d get up early every morning before school to work out and put up some free throws. He dreamed of having his jersey hung in the Mt. Vernon gymnasium; he wanted to be remembered by his school and his community.
And he fought like mad for his dream, she said.
As a Marauder, Ertel was an all-conference athlete for three years. He played on three different Indiana All-Star teams, including the academic all-state team. He was unanimously named Hancock’s all-county player of the year in 2017, leading the county in scoring with an average of 19.8 points per game.
When Cross recruited Ertel while he was still a Mt. Vernon Marauder, the ULM coach instantly knew he’d found the exact kind of athlete their program was looking for, he said. Mike was a sharpshooter. He was able to consistently sink every outside shot he took, and with a little fine-tuning, the coaching staff could harness that raw talent and help him maximize his potential, Cross said.
“When you think of an Indiana basketball player, one who was born with a basketball in his hand, it’s Mike Ertel,” Cross said.
An honest sport
The 19-year old had a rough start at first, but he eventually found his groove after having a chance to clock in some hours on a collegiate court, Ertel said.
Toward the beginning of the season, Ertel stuck to his comfort zone, looking to pass or shoot for three whenever the ball came his way. He gradually learned to get aggressive in order to make his way under the hoop; a challenge that paid off in the long run, Ertel said.
Ertel has scored in double figures 14 times, including 10 league games. His 50 3-pointers ranks third on the team, and he averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists over the last 11 games.
Ertel’s ability to make a play inside the three-point line quickly made him a player that could come in for the clutch when the team was under pressure, Cross said.
“He really plays like he is beyond his years,” Cross said. “He’s not a typical freshman.”
Getting used to the more competitive nature of D1 sports isn’t the only challenge Ertel has faced while diving into his new college athlete life. The lifelong Hoosier is enjoying the balmy Louisiana weather, but there are certain aspects of life down the bayou he has yet to become accustomed to, namely, the cajun-country cuisine. Ertel was cautious when someone offered him spicy crawfish for the first time.
“I don’t know; they kind of look like giant insects,” Ertel laughed.
Looking ahead in his basketball career, Ertel plans to stay the course that carried him this far. Tenacity has paid off in the past, so he expects it will in the future, he said.
“The game of basketball is real honest,” Ertel said. “If you put in the time and work, then it’s gonna show in practices in game. If you haven’t, you’re going to be pushed to the side by somebody who has.”
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In this series, the Daily Reporter checks in with some of the county’s athletic greats from over the years. Have an athlete you’d like to see profiled? Send us a note at [email protected].
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