By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — CJ Ingram was previously a four-star football recruit, but now the 6-foot-6, 195-pound forward from Oak Ridge (FL) is focusing on taking his basketball game to the next level.
Ingram has been playing on the Nike EYBL circuit since he was 15. But he feels like he started to fall behind his peers trying to balance both sports.
“I feel like it wasn’t fair to myself,” Ingram told ZAGSBLOG. “So I had to just make the decision that was best for me. And that was to stick to basketball. It’s really just reps. Stuff like that. I got the mental aspect of the game I feel like down pact. So I feel like it’s really just living in the gym and staying consistent with that. I think my ceiling is high.”
Ingram currently describes himself a two-way player that plays hard every game, rebounds his position and gets to the cup. At Peach Jam, the forward is averaging 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in just 23 minutes per contest for the Florida Rebels.
“I just play hard,” Ingram said of his game. “Everybody don’t want to guard the best player or go rebound. So being able to switch off and guard one-through-four, I feel like that’s very unique.”
As for Ingram’s recruitment, he holds offers from over 20 programs and has most recently been offered by Kansas, Georgetown, Michigan, SMU and Mississippi State. So far in the process Ingram has only taken one official visit: Florida. That’s where his father, Cornelius Ingram, played basketball and tight end. Cornelius later went on to play in the NFL and was drafted by the Eagles in 2009 with the 153rd overall pick.
“He was around the [Tim] Tebow era,” Ingram said. “So he won two national championships and he was part of the basketball team, the national championship team [with Billy Donovan]. A lot of people think I’m going to Florida already. I see why because he went there, but.”
Ingram also went more into detail on Florida and broke down the other schools involved with him:
Florida: “[My visit] was great. I stay in Gainesville so it’s a 10 minute drive right up the road. It felt like home.”
On Todd Golden’s message: “That I fit and he wants me there really bad. I’m trying to weigh all my options, but I’m definitely considering them.”
Georgia: “I talked to coach Mike White. He was the first person to call me. It wasn’t even an assistant. So that shows how much he really wants me. He tells me every day like, ‘Come through, I can play you right away.’ So talking to him. The assistants, they are helping me out with my game, just sending me stuff. Helping me with my knowledge of the game as well. So that’s a real great coaching staff over there and I’m definitely considering them as well.”
Kansas: “I just actually got that offer last night. So it’s a blue blood school. It’s definitely a blessing. I’ve been talking with them since the Atlanta live period for high school. So it’s still a surreal feeling, but I’m just trying to keep working and hopefully keep being successful and help my teammates win.”
Michigan: “Another great school. I mean it’s Michigan. So there’s not too much to say. NCAA Tournament. Every time you turn on March Madness, they’re probably playing. So that’s something I definitely want to be a part of. Coach Dusty May he was at FAU and he led FAU to a Final Four appearance. So that speaks a lot about the coaching staff.”
Georgetown: “I just got that last night. I don’t know too much about Georgetown besides Allen Iverson going there. But Big East school, so it’s definitely a tough conference. I know they’re a great program as well so I’ll be looking to learn more about it.”
SMU: “I’ve been talking to SMU probably before I went to Pangos. So it’s been like a month or two. Coach [Chris] Capko, he’s actually known my dad for a minute. So he pretty much just tells me what I need about my game shooting wise. So if I have a coach telling me what I can do to develop at the next level, so I pretty much appreciate a lot about him as well. I talk to the head coach actually when they offered me. So I talked to him as well and he said he likes my game. So I’m definitely looking forward to talking to them more.”
As for any official visit dates?
“Not yet,” Ingram said. “I’m going to schedule them after Peach Jam.”
Ingram’s favorite NBA player is LeBron James and his favorite movie of all-time is Space Jam. In addition to his father’s athletic background, Ingram’s mother played volleyball at Santa Fe Community College and is “pretty tall.” Ingram is also the oldest brother to five other siblings.
“I got some younger brothers that’s following behind me and hopefully they can be better than me,” Ingram said.
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