Harrell, Booker receive Wooden/MCL Awards for 2026

All-Stars from Carmel, Pike recognized for outstanding citizenship

 

The REPORTER

Superior athletes. Strong students. Outstanding citizens.

In a phrase, those labels accurately describe Indiana All-Star basketball players and recent high school graduates Evan Harrell of Carmel and Komari Booker of Pike. Thus, each athlete has been named a winner of a Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award for 2026 as presented by the IndyStar Indiana All-Stars.

Harrell, a 6-8 forward, averaged 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in keying Carmel to an 18-6 season that included a Class 4A sectional championship. For his career, he totaled 789 points, 411 rebounds and 95 assists in 67 games while helping the Greyhounds to a 55-38 record.

The Bellarmine University signee was selected 2026 IBCA Senior Supreme 15, 2026 AP high honorable mention All-State, 2025 IBCA Underclass Large School All-State and 2024 IBCA Underclass honorable mention All-State. He also received a Carmel “CLASS Award” in the fall of 2024 for outstanding achievement in the classroom, positive behavior, improvement and effort.

Over the years, Harrell has served the community by volunteering for Sam’s Wish, a Carmel-based program that helps people with disabilities live happier lives, and volunteering for the Merciful HELP Center, a program of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Carmel that helps people in times of need. He also has served as a teen minister at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.

Harrell plans to major in finance at Bellarmine.

Booker, a 6-1 forward, tallied 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals as a senior in helping Pike to a 24-2 ledger and a Class 4A sectional title. Over four seasons, she totaled 788 points, 662 rebounds, 108 assists and 144 steals in 88 games as the Red Devils went 61-42 and won three sectionals plus one regional. Her career rebounds total stands sixth on Pike’s all-time list.

The Northern Illinois University recruit is a two-time IBCA Large School All-State selection, a two-time AP high honorable mention choice, a three-time first-team all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference pick and a three-time first-team all-Marion County selection.

For several years, Booker has volunteered for the Mozell Sanders Foundation and its Feed The Hungry program, which originated out of Mt. Vernon Community Missionary Baptist Church, Booker’s home church.

Booker plans to major in sociology at NIU.

“Evan and Komari are great representatives for the Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award for the 2025 Indiana All-Stars,” Indiana All-Star games director Mike Broughton said. “Both Evan and Komari had strong high school careers on and off the court. We wish them well as they take their talents to the college level.”

The Wooden/MCL Citizenship Awards have been presented to one All-Star boy and one All-Star girl annually since 1992. The awards are named for the late John Wooden, an outstanding player at Martinsville High School and Purdue University and later a 10-time NCAA championship coach at UCLA.

“Since I am a strong believer in academic and citizenship awards, I am honored that MCL desires to use my name for this honor,” Wooden said when the award established in 1992.

MCL Restaurant & Bakery, based in Indianapolis, has sponsored the Wooden Citizenship Award for all 35 years that it has been presented. MCL also has supported the Indiana All-Star program for about 35 years. The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, organizers of the Indiana All-Stars, thanks MCL for its continued support.