-Parker Tillson
Arkansas’ recruiting prowess has attracted yet another impressive prospect as five-star small forward Harrison Ingram recently announced his interest in playing for the Razorbacks.
Ingram, Rivals’ No. 9 recruit in the class of 2021, recently put Arkansas in his final 10 college choices along with the likes of North Carolina, Louisville and Baylor.
Ingram, a Dallas, Texas native, was described by Arkansas basketball beat reporter Kevin McPherson and national recruiting analyst Brian Snow as a well-rounded point forward capable of playing positions 1-3. Snow deemed him one of the most intelligent players in the country, and says though he lacks a little athleticism, he makes up for it with his IQ and playmaking ability.
The 6’7″ Ingram averaged three assists short of a triple-double in his junior year with Dallas St. Mark’s, tallying 20 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. He led his school to a Southwest Preparatory Conference championship.
Stanford and Purdue are his projected destinations, according to prediction forecasts on Rivals and 247sports, but Arkansas fans, players and coaches are hopeful that Ingram will end up on the hill. Here’s why Arkansas is the premier landing spot for Ingram.
Potential
First, Arkansas’ 2020 recruiting class is superior to that of Purdue and Stanford. Although Stanford signed five-star recruit Ziaire Williams, the No. 4 recruit in the nation, they only managed to get a trio of three-star recruits along with him.
On the other hand, the Boilermakers have inked two four-star recruits and a three-star this offseason. Both have solid recruiting classes, but neither compare to the multitude of talent that Arkansas has brought in.
The Razorbacks reeled in a quartet of four-star recruits and two graduate transfers in 2020, good for the sixth best recruiting class in the nation.
Positional Availability
With the departure of 2020 SEC co-Player of the Year Mason Jones, the small forward position in 2020-21 is likely to be filled by grad transfer Vance Jackson or incoming four-star guard Moses Moody.
But if Ingram commits, that spot is wide open for him in 2021. Jackson, who spent a year at UCONN and two years at New Mexico State before coming to Arkansas, will be gone by the time Ingram arrives.
With Moody’s 6’6’ frame, the Little Rock native could easily play small forward in the NCAA, and I think he’ll be practicing there this season — especially if SEC three-point king Isaiah Joe stays for another year. Either way, like Jackson, Joe will most likely be gone after 2020, as he’s projected to be a second-round pick in most mock drafts this year.
With both Jones and Joe gone by 2021, the combo of Moody and Ingram could be a lethal one, but a recent draft projection predicted Moody to be a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. So Moody may also be gone by the time Ingram gets there as well, but that’s a long ways away.
If Ingram was to go to Stanford he would most likely play second fiddle to Williams, the No. 1 small forward in the class of 2020, unless Williams ends up being a one-and-done. If Williams leaves, Stanford still has a good amount of depth at the small forward position that Ingram would have to claw through to get a spot, although he is capable of playing multiple positions.
The Boilermakers have a few vacancies at the forward position, but they had their worst win total since 2013 last year going 16-15 and 9-11 in the PAC-12. Although they’ve been good for the past four or five years, that down year could cost them the allegiance of the versatile Ingram.
Ingram has ties with Arkansas. He is friends with Mason Jones through his older brother Will Ingram, who played AAU ball with Jones and now plays at D-III Middlebury in Vermont. He and his father are also close with Hogs assistant coach Corey Williams, who coached spent 2013-2018 coaching at Stetson University, which is where Ingram met him.
Ingram took a visit with Arkansas last August, and was thoroughly impressed with the school and Musselman. He said he liked the way they ran an NBA-style offense, and had many other great things to say about the Arkansas program, the area and the school.
Ingram would blend well with the influx of talent that Arkansas has coming next year. With Joe and a few potential transfers still waiting to make their decisions, Hog fans have to hold their breath a little longer to know how the roster should shake out over the coming seasons.
Regardless of what happens next season, though, Ingram would be a major get for 2021.
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Here’s a solid breakdown of his offensive strengths and weaknesses, with a comparison to Tyreke Evans:
