Top-30 prospect CJ Ingram, son of former Gator Cornelius Ingram, commits to Florida
CJ Ingram, one of the fastest-rising prospects in America, has committed to the hometown Florida Gators for basketball, he told On3.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard out of Oak Ridge High School (FL) was completely unranked a few months ago before blossoming with the Florida Rebels grassroots program on the EYBL Circuit. A former dual-sport athlete, Ingram recently decided to stop playing football and focus solely on basketball. And that decision has started paying dividends.
In June and July alone, the four-star recruit picked up 20 high-major offers, including Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and others.
He skyrocketed up the rankings and is now ranked 26th nationally according to On3’s Top-150 Player Rankings.
His story gets even better. A legacy recruit, Ingram is the son of former Florida and NFL tight end Cornelius Ingram.
Ingram on his decision to choose Florida
CJ Ingram spoke with On3 to discuss his commitment to the Gators.
“It always felt like home,” he said. “The atmosphere is just different with the fans. My visit just felt almost perfect and I’m doing at home in front of friends and family. Coach Todd, Coach Taurean Green, Coach Hartmann and Coach Talley, they tell me every day what I can be in the future, how I can develop, and how I fit in the system.”
In his own words, what type of player is CJ Ingram?
“A two way slasher. A physical guard who can guard multiple positions and play the one through three, and can defend, rebound, score or facilitate.”
He has a message for Florida fans.
“We gon’ have Florida rocking again like ’06 if you know, you know!”
Florida was the only official visit that Ingram went on. However, he did receive offers from Georgetown, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Pitt, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and others.
Scouting Summary
On3’s Jamie Shaw recently had this to say about Ingram after scouting him earlier this summer at the Pangos All-American Camp:
Throughout the camp, Ingram showed a high-flying arsenal of dunks. His ability to make a move and get downhill toward the rim was as impressive as his vicious and purposeful play above the rim, in traffic. He finished the camp with multiple dunks that were among the top five for the week.
However, for me, moreso than the high-flying athleticism, Ingram consistently made some impressive passing reads. Not only processing the play on the ball, but delivering passes with pin-point accuracy to open teammates for easy baskets. There is a real scenario where Ingram could play on ball as a primary initiator in the future. At the very least, a team should be able to run some fun actions with him as a secondary guy in the half-court.
The shooting will need to continue to progress, but this summer is the first one where he has focused full-time on basketball. Not only is he young for his grade, but the 6-foot-5, maybe 6-foot-6, wing is still light on in-game reps and in-game experience. No. 26 overall is the starting point for Ingram, continue to monitor him throughout the year to see what kind of developments his game makes. While he is still new to being a full-time basketball player, and there is not much more room for upward growth from No. 26, Ingram has some natural tools and feel that could very well make him a unique prospect in the long-run.