Fishers High School senior Talia Harris has always had the goal of being an Indiana Girls All-Star.
“I’m glad I have achieved it. Being an All-Star means a lot to me,” Harris said.
Harris will play for the Indiana Girls All-Stars against the Kentucky All-Stars June 7 at Lexington (Ky.) Catholic High School and June 8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the annual girls-boys doubleheader. The senior All-Stars will play the Indiana Junior All-Stars June 5 at Kokomo High School. Fishers senior Keenan Garner will play for the Indiana Boys All-Stars.
“What I’m looking forward to is just spending time with my teammates and getting the opportunity to play high school basketball one last time,” said Harris, who will play for Mercer University next season.
Fishers girls coach Lauren Votaw, who will serve as an assistant coach for the All-Stars, said she is proud of Harris.
“She has demonstrated steady growth over her high school career,” Votaw said. “She is poised on the court and brings our team together off the court. Her leadership and growth have been instrumental in our team success, and she deserves the honor of being an Indiana All-Star.”
Harris, a 5-foot-8 guard, averaged 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game last season.
“I think I made big improvements in my mindset and how aggressive I was this year,” Harris said. “I had to step up into a bigger and more of a scorer role my senior year, and I think I improved my aggressiveness and just my confidence overall.”
Her sister, Tyasha Harris, is a former Heritage Christian School and University of South Carolina standout who now plays for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA.
“I remember going to her games a little bit,” Harris said. “I was really young, so I don’t remember too much but I do remember her playing in it.”
Fishers boys basketball coach Garrett Winegar said Garner was integral to the team not only for his on-court performance, but as a leader.
“Keenen led us with his work ethic, his intensity and his willingness to be a vocal leader,” Garner said. “He set the standard for what it means to be a captain in our program. Prior to the season, we voted on captains, and all 35 players in our program — freshmen through varsity — wrote down Keenan Garner. That is the kind of leader he is and respect he has earned from his teammates.”
As the Tigers advanced through the IHSAA state tournament, Garner began drawing more college recruiting attention.
“Based on his regular season production and what our team accomplished, Keenan was an All-Star lock going into the postseason, but him leading us to a state championship solidified him as not only an All-Star lock but a Mr. Basketball finalist,” Winegar said.
Garner averaged 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Tigers (29-1), who beat Ben Davis in the Class 4A state championship game.
“I feel like being an Indiana All-Star on top of all the things we accomplished this year as a team was like a cherry on top and I feel honored to be named to that team,” Garner said.
Garner said becoming an All-Star was a goal going into the season.
“It felt even better because I was not able to be a part of that (Junior All-Stars) team last year,” he said.
Following the season, Garner accepted a scholarship offer from IU Indianapolis.
“There were many factors that played into choosing IUI over other good opportunities for me, but ultimately, it just felt like the best decision for me moving forward,” he said.
