Give the guy 10 more centimeters and who knows how the career path of Jeremy Ingram (183-G-1991, college: AAMU) may have gone in the last 5 years. The walking bucket who has that special mix of Kobe, Harden and Steph in his game has been parading around tiny and sometimes smelly gyms in Germany for years, but nothing has held him back from delivering on a nightly basis no matter who the club was from Idstein to Mannheim or his latest team Bargteheide. The guy comes to play every night and is an enforcer on the court filling the stat sheet like no other and is a competitor that teammates come to cherish and opponents come to loath simply because he is so good. But unfortunately for him there are so many other talented guards like him toiling around in the German Regionalliga that not every player can make the jump to higher leagues. It happens every so often that guys will make the jump like Tyseem Lyles did just a few years ago. After 2 very strong seasons in Hamburg with Eimsbuettel, the Brooklyn New York native jumped up 2 leagues to PS Karlsruhe and then moved back down a level to the Pro B and found a home in Erfurt belonging to the top guards in the German Pro B. Making these jumps can be made, but it isn’t always easy. How much more has this guy have to suffer in the Regionalliga? He deserves to be playing at a higher level. ‘I feel like my skills should have me in Pro A for sure but I also know the politics of playing out here in Germany so hopefully at least Pro B is in my future’, stressed Jeremy Ingram. Give Jeremy Ingram the ball and finally let him showcase his magic in the Pro A or Pro B.
A few weeks ago it looked like Jeremy Ingram who see the Warriors upending the Celtics in the 2023 NBA final and his team Bargetheide would be playing in the post season, but things changed and instead of still hanging around with his teammates training for the playoffs, he will take a little time off before focusing on the future. ‘I will probably hang around in South Germany for a while and chill with my family and just enjoy life. Hopefully take a trip to the beach soon’, said Jeremy Ingram. It was a very special season for Bargteheide, but not reaching the playoffs will be difficult to digest for the hungry guard. ‘The playoffs were definitely something I was looking forward to but for us to be in the position we ended the season was a big win for us also’, expressed Jeremy Ingram. But in the first month of the season nothing was rosy as the team were losing and had lost Ingram after the first game of the season to injury. He had sparkled with 26 points, but lost a brutal 77-76 nail bitter to Wusterhausen. ‘Those early season losses hurt us a lot. My early season injury also caused us a few of those games’, remembered Jeremy Ingram. The club did as best they could going 3-5 in his absence. When he arrived back ready for action, the team came alive and came together and went 13-4. ‘We just needed all our players back. 1st half of the season was full of injuries, illnesses, and players leaving because of work so we just had a lot going on. Our 2nd half was the complete opposite which helped us finish the season strong. The special part about this team is no one expected us to be in the playoff race. We beat every team except the top 3 teams which technically made us the 4th best team in our league and that says a lot. We definitely exceeded expectations’, remembered Jeremy Ingram.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Jeremy Ingram in Idstein, Germany in Oct 2020
The explosive guard who mentions teammate German Tobias Schuemann (the most valuable Bee) as the most improved on a team played on a team where he experienced something special that he hadn’t ever seen before in his professional career in Germany. ‘I had fun with these group of guys and probably created the strongest bond on and off the court more than any other German team I ever played on’, warned Jeremy Ingram. The club had some massive wins and one that really stood out was the exciting and wild 112-111 win over Westerstede where he dropped 35 points, but that wasn’t his most memorable of the season. ‘ Our home game against Aschersleben was most definitely my favorite win of the season because it was so much riding on that game and we came up big to pull it out at the end’, commented Jeremy Ingram. Every guy gave his all to the success, but the team wouldn’t have been the same without the dominating play from guards Marcel Hoppe and Abdulai Abaker. All 3 combined for 67 points of the team 82 points per game. ‘I had so much fun playing with them because they are both very good in their own different ways. I think we all balanced each other out the whole season. I think they are 2 of the best players I have played with so far since I have been here in Germany’, warned Jeremy Ingram.
The ex Alabama A&M guard who lists Neustadt’s Dyon Doekhi and Matej Jelovcic and Marley Jean Louis from the Berlin Braves as his toughest opponents had another superb season averaging 25,7ppg, 5,6rpg, 2,9apg and 3,3spg showing he belonged to the top guards in the league. One can’t forget that even after he returned from injury, he wasn’t 100% fit. ‘I got better and better as the season went on. My 1st game back from injury I say I was like 75% and my final game I will say I was about 91%’, said Jeremy Ingram. He scored in double figures in all 15 games and scored 20 points or more 11 times including 39 points against Oldenburg and Wusterhausen and 35 points against Westerstede. His scoring and assists were down from his Mannheim season, but he also played 6 minutes less. Obviously the talent level he had in Bargteheide was different to Mannheim. He didn’t have to do everything like in Mannheim. ‘My points of course would be down because I shared the court with 2 other 20+ ppg scorers with Abu and Marcel. Abu was the main point guard so he averaged most of our assists and he did a very good job at that. My Rebounds per game is up a lot from last season and I’m still 1 of the leagues steals leaders so I say I had another successful season, especially since I played on a broken foot the whole season’, stressed Jeremy Ingram. He proved that he doesn’t always have to play on losing teams, but can be an impact player on a winning team as well. ‘ I consider myself a certified hooper. If I got better players on my team I’m good enough to share the love and play with them to make our team better. But if I need to go to work every game like I did in Mannheim I can do that too if I need be’, expressed Jeremy Ingram. The season just ended and he still has certain games and plays on his mind. ‘ I say Oldenburg and Wusterhausen was my most exciting, because I put on a scoring clinic type of games. My game against Aschersleben is my most memorable because I hit some huge shots down the stretch to win that game. I think I had 22 second half points. It was a tie game against Aschersleben. I think 74-74 with like under 1 minute to play and I hit a long deep 3 in between half court and the 3 point line ALL NET! The crowd , my team , everybody in the gym went crazy. By far my most memorable play of the season and I had some great plays but that specific 3 pointer stands out the most’, remembered Jeremy Ingram. It will be interesting to see where Jeremy Ingram will hoop next season. Especially in the north are teams like Itzehoe and Wedel who could easily use his services. ‘Well it’s still early right now and a lot of teams are still playing so they are focused on their own seasons right now. Hopefully I’m on some team’s radar though’, said Jeremy Ingram. Of course this guy will be on some teams radar’s for next season. He deserves a pro B shot next season and am sure he will get it.
German Hoops 