FORTVILLE — Michael Ertel wasn’t expecting to travel back in time, but earlier this month, the former Mt. Vernon standout found himself full circle at his childhood home.
As an Indiana All-Star in 2017, Ertel earned nearly every accolade a high school senior would want. The 6-foot-2 guard was named Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Large School All-State, the Hancock County Player of the Year and First Team All-Hoosier Heritage Conference.
Yet, when it came to recruiting, his options were limited at best.
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Overlooked by many, Ertel dreamed of attending Butler University and playing college basketball inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. His parents Michael and Amy are both Butler graduates, so that fact was an obvious motivator, but when decision time came three years ago, it was Louisiana-Monroe who came calling.
His commitment to ULM led to Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2018 and All-Sun Belt Third-Team as a sophomore in 2019. This past season, he made the All-Sun Belt Second-Team.
On April 6, however, when Ertel officially announced he was leaving Louisiana-Monroe by entering the NCAA transfer portal, history replayed itself again, but this time with a frenzied twist.
Quarantined with his family due to COVID-19, Ertel’s second recruiting go-around kicked into an immediate overdrive.
“When I made the decision (to enter the transfer portal), and I said I was leaving, people were hitting me up from everywhere. Your phone is ringing 24-7. You have options to go a ton of different places,” Ertel said.
“In high school, there were probably only two options, so that was a difference. Out of high school, I didn’t get recruited very much. Really just ULM. This time was really the first time I’ve gotten recruited pretty heavily, so it was unique.”
Once Ertel put his name in the transfer portal, schools from across the nation were free to contact him without limitation. And they did with immediate interest as programs in the Big Ten, SEC, Big East and other leagues pursued him.
“I loved it at Monroe. I loved the community. They really embraced me, but I just decided it would be best for me to go play my last year somewhere else, but it was a really hard decision because I loved all the people there and the fans,” Ertel said. “I just thought the best thing for me was going somewhere else.”
The finalists were Butler and The University of Alabama in Birmingham with Illinois, Ohio State and Creighton on his more extensive potentials list.
By April 11, after discussions with his family, Ertel made his final decision to transfer to UAB and later signed his letter of intent on April 15.
“The reason I chose UAB out of everybody was because I really loved coach Andy Kennedy. They want to start something special. I had an opportunity to go to a lot of different places, and I just thought that would give me the best opportunity to be successful,” Ertel said. “Obviously, my assistant coach who left (Louisiana-Monroe), he’s there, so I had a guy I knew on staff. That was a huge factor for me.”
Former ULM assistant coach Ryan Cross officially joined UAB and Kennedy’s staff on April 6.
“When I put my name in, they obviously wanted me over at UAB, and I thought it was a perfect fit,” Ertel said.
A three-year starter at ULM, Ertel was a steady contributor under head coach Keith Richard, especially during his junior year when he averaged 16.2 points, 2.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. He scored 470 points in 37.9 minutes on average over 29 games.
“I just tried to get better every single year. My freshman year was a little rocky in the beginning, but it got a lot better as the year went on, then my sophomore year, I had more of a leadership role,” Ertel said. “I kind of came into my own and really improved and was able to get all-conference that year.”
Statistically, Ertel posted his best campaign as a sophomore with 544 points, 99 assists, 106 rebounds 80 3-pointers in 180 attempts and shot 43 percent from the field.
He averaged 15.5 points per game for ULM in 2018-19 and converted 44 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Once he opted to explore his options as a graduate transfer, he knew it wasn’t going to be an easy process.
“A lot of people can get caught up in the name, but at the end of the day, it’s who you like the most and who is going to give you the opportunity right away,” Ertel said. “I only had one year. I set the bar really high, and I thought UAB was the perfect spot. They play really good basketball over there, and we have a lot of good people on the schedule. It’s Conference USA, so it’s a really good league with a lot of good players.”
While Ertel weighed his future, there was one obstacle, the Coronavirus pandemic, and it’s social distancing restrictions. Ertel was unable to make campus visits or open his family’s doors to coaches and recruiters, but he worked around the problem.
“I couldn’t sit down face-to-face with the coaches, so I just called them all the time,” Ertel said. “The time when I entered the transfer portal, my phone was going off. It was crazy because everyone is just sitting at home calling people.”
Ertel wasn’t the only one Kennedy and his staff contacted. Tony Toney (Huntsville, Ala./Mae Jemison) and Quan Jackson (Tallahassee, Fla./Georgia Southern) also transferred to UAB.
“Me and Quan, we played against each other for three years (in the Sun Belt),” Ertel said. “I always thought he was really good, and I thought it would be really cool to play with him. I think our skill sets match-up pretty well, and I think he’s going to help us out a lot.
“I think we can have a really good team. With all the pieces they got and the other returners, I think we can really make a run at it.”
UAB finished seventh in Conference USA and 18-13 overall under former head coach Robert Eshan. The Blazers have appeared in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 13 times since 1978 and reached the Final Four in 2010-11 under coach Mike Davis. UAB made the third round of the national tournament in its most recent appearance in 2014-15.
“I always try to play as hard as I can when I’m out there. I’m not the most athletic guy, so I always have to be ready to go, and that’s one reason why I chose UAB because with coach Kennedy, they’re going to play a fast pace and get it up and down,” Ertel said. “It’s a perfect situation to show off what I do best, and UAB has a strong history of success.”
Ertel plans to leave his mark during Kennedy’s first season at UAB.
While waiting for pandemic restrictions to ease, Ertel is shooting daily on his family’s indoor court where his father and younger brother, Luke, rebound for him as he hones his 3-point range.
“I struggled shooting it last year. This offseason, I have to get better at it. With the line moving back (to 22-feet, 1 3/4 inches in 2019), I really have to improve,” Ertel said. “It’s one thing I’m trying to get better at, but obviously, I have to shoot 3s. It’s nice to get that extra point.”
