CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It's not often a college basketball star at one of the nation's most decorated programs has time to dedicate to another craft. In fact, it's usually frowned upon. However, for UNC basketball star forward Harrison Ingram, his skills in chess actually make him a more dangerous player on the court.
"I think the way I play basketball is very methodical," Ingram said. "I don't always go full speed. I'm pretty slow and methodical. I have little bursts here and there. But the way I play basketball, I play because strategy and kind of having chess and other board games and the sports I do outside of [basketball] really helps me on the court. I feel like it slows down the game, and I see things like three or four moves ahead."
Ingram comes to UNC from Stanford, where he enjoyed two years of success in the Pac-12. In his first season in the college ranks, he was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Fast forward to this season, and Ingram is already a leader and one of the more valuable members on the team.
He is second on UNC's team in average minutes played per game with 33.1. He's second in rebounds per game with 6.4, only behind Armando Bacot. But most importantly, he's third in points per game with 15.1. He does everything, as the junior forward is a multitasking savant. He attributes this skill to his family.
"I feel like I want to do more," Ingram said. "I don't want to just be a basketball player. I feel like especially in this world, you can do so much more. My sister, she plays volleyball, my brother plays basketball, but my parents have always preached they want us to be more than just athletes."
Ingram says his love for chess started at a young age in California when he played with his father and grandfather. It wasn't until he saw the Netflix series, "The Queen's Gambit," that he really started paying attention to specific strategies and moves. That led him to think about basketball in a more analytical way.
"I don't always like to have the defense decide what I do," Ingram said. "I want to kind of decide what the defense does and kind of make them know that if I pass it there, he's gonna go here. So if I cut here, I'm gonna open up a shot for RJ as he comes around the screen. Just little stuff like that."
Thinking three or four moves ahead in everything he does is something he's started doing in every area of life. Just as his father taught him chess, his parents and grandparents also taught him how to think effectively and with purpose.
"I mean, [my parents] are both brilliant people," Ingram said. "My grandma, my mom, my mom's side, my mom's mom, she always preached education. She was a teacher herself. And so was my grandpa. They both were teachers. But they still also raised seven kids at the same time and put them all in college fully paid for. And doing that on a teacher's salary back then, as African Americans was pretty tough."
The Tar Heels are currently 7-2, perfect at home, and rank inside the top-10 in the AP Top-25 at No. 9. The season is pretty young, but head coach Hubert Davis wants his team to make adjustments and become a faster-playing team. You would think that would cause problems for Ingram with his slow and methodical approach. But it's not an issue, as Davis says he has the basketball IQ to pull it off. For Ingram, the adjustment from Stanford basketball to UNC basketball is a challenge he's willing to embrace.
"It's really how fast I understand stuff on the floor," Ingram said. "I feel like if anything, I'm in a new team with a bunch of [new things]. I feel like I've been able to understand stuff right away without having [Davis] explain anything to me twice."