By R.L. Bynum
Harrison Ingram, the versatile, high-energy transfer who had a breakout junior season at Carolina after two years at Stanford, has declared for the 2024 NBA draft, saying that he’ll be chasing his dreams.
Projected as a second-round pick, the 6–7, 225-pound forward announced his decision on X (formerly Twitter) late Saturday morning, saying he is a “Tar Heel for life,” but not sounding like he has any plans to pull his name.
“I would like to thank my family and God for their sacrifices and support throughout my life,” Ingram said in the post. “To Coach [Hubert] Davis and the rest of the coaching staff, I want to thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play and represent the University of North Carolina.”
On nbadraft.net, he’s projected as the 49th overall pick but ESPN’s Jonathan Givony projects Ingram as the No. 34 pick.
No Carolina player has been drafted since the Phoenix Suns took Day’Ron Sharpe as the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 draft. The Suns traded his draft rights to the Brooklyn Nets that August.
“Throughout my life, playing in the NBA has always been a main dream of mind, and with that, I am excited to announce that I am officially declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Ingram posted.
On April 12, Ingram posted on X a highlights video from last season, which some perceived incorrectly as an indication that he might return.
“The love and support I felt this year really changed my life,” Ingram said in the video that accompanied his X post on Saturday. “From a sold-out Dean Dome to walking on Franklin Street and hearing my name called and chanted, and the love I felt was just something I can’t really put into words.”
At UNC, Ingram played the four spot, mixed it up with taller players, rebounded well, held his own at the three spot, and was a consistent threat from the perimeter.
“To my coaching staff, we came in here with a goal to win the national championship,” Ingram said in the Saturday video. “Although we came up short, the confidence that you instilled in me, and lessons I learned, and the memories I have will last me forever. And to my teammates, the bond we have — we clicked right away. Everyone is close. We’ll still be close.”
Ingram averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, shooting 43.0% and making 38.5% of his 3-point attempts, all career-highs. He scored a season-high 22 points in the March 2 home win over N.C. State.
He had 11 double-doubles after notching only five in his two seasons at Stanford, and scored four or more 3-pointers five times after never doing that as a Cardinal.
Key events, dates
Saturday, April 27, was the deadline for players to submit their names to the NBA draft
Wednesday was the deadline for players to enter the transfer portal
May 11–12 — NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago
May 12–19 — NBA Combine in Chicago
May 17–19 — Evaluation for high school players at NCAA-certified events (EYBL in Indianapolis is one of those)
May 29 at 11:59 p.m. — Deadline to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 16 at 5 p.m. — Deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft
UNC schedule so far
Nov. 8 — at Kansas (final AP rank No. 20; final NET ranking No. 19)
Nov. 22 — at Hawaii (final NET ranking No. 172)
Nov. 25–27 — Maui Invitational — Auburn (final AP rank No. 18; final NET ranking No. 5), Colorado (unranked; No. 25), Connecticut (No. 1; No. 2), Dayton (No. 24; No. 23), Iowa State (No. 8; No. 6), Memphis (unranked; No. 75), Michigan State (unranked; No. 24)
Dec. 14 — vs. La Salle (final NET ranking No. 195)
Likely in late November — Opponent TBA in ACC/SEC Challenge
December — vs. UCLA (final NET ranking No. 107) in CBS Sports Classic (date, location TBA)
December — vs. Florida (final NET ranking No. 29) in Jumpman Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center (date TBA)
— Games home and away against Duke, N.C. State and Pittsburgh
— Home games vs. Boston College, California, Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
— Road games vs. Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Note: 2024 NCAA tournament teams are in bold.
Potential 2024-25 UNC roster
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Freshman | James Brown (4 star) | 5 | 6–8 | 225 |
| — | Freshman | Ian Jackson (5 star) | 2 | 6–4 | 180 |
| — | Freshman | Drake Powell (5 star) | 2 | 6–5 | 185 |
| 2 | Soph. | Elliot Cadeau | PG | 6–1 | 180 |
| 1 | Soph. | Zayden High | 4 | 6–9 | 225 |
| — | Junior | Cade Tyson | 3 | 6–7 | 203 |
| 13 | Junior | Jalen Washington | 5 | 6–10 | 230 |
| 0 | Junior | Seth Trimble | 2 | 6–3 | 195 |
| 5 | Graduate | RJ Davis | PG | 6–0 | 180 |
| Eligible for fifth season | |||||
| 24 | Graduate | Jae’Lyn Withers | 4 | 6–9 | 215 |
| Walk-ons eligible for 5th season | |||||
| 14 | Graduate | Creighton Lebo | PG | 6–1 | 180 |
| 22 | Graduate | Rob Landry | 2 | 6–4 | 190 |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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