UNC’s Harrison Ingram declares for NBA Draft: ‘I’m a Tar Heel for life’

UNC basketball’s off-season rebuild includes replacing Harrison Ingram, who declared for the NBA Draft on Saturday morning.

“I would first like to thank my family and God for their sacrifices and support throughout my life,” Ingram said in a social media 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. You instilled a lot of confidence in me and allowed me to be great. To my teammates, you made this year special for me. I also want to thank Tar Heel Nation; the support was awesome.

“I’m proud to say I’m a Tar Heel for life.”

Ingram joined the Tar Heels program last season, transferring after playing two years at Stanford.

The junior made an immediate impact for Carolina, averaging 12.2 points per game and 8.8 rebounds. He finished second on the team with 11 double-doubles and total rebounds (327), trailing only Armando Bacot who had 19 and 380, respectively. Ingram also led the team with 51 steals.

He was one of the most efficient shooters, making 43% of his attempts from the field. His 3-point shooting (38.5%) ranked No. 3 on the team among players who attempted at least 30 shots from the perimeter.

UNC coach Hubert Davis often praised Ingram for his do-it-all mentality, which the transfer’s numbers reflect.

Ingram’s performances earned All-ACC Third Team honors. He averaged a conference-leading 10.9 rebounds per game in league play.

“The love and support I felt this year really changed my life. From a sold out Dean Dome to walking down Franklin Street and hearing my name called and chanted is something I can’t put into words,” Ingram said in a video. “To my coaching staff, we came in here with a goal to win a national championship, although we came up short, the confidence you instilled in me and the lessons I learned and the memories I’ll have will last me forever. To my teammates, the bond we have, we clicked right away. Everyone was close. We’ll still be close. We’ll text in our group chat to this day. That bond will last forever.”

The Tar Heels look to replace Ingram, Cormac Ryan, Armando Bacot, Seth Trimble and James Okonkwo. RJ Davis has not announced whether he will return for a fifth season.