My basketball love for Jeremy Ingram (183-F-1991, college: AAMU) just doesn´t stop. I mean I will never forget watching and meeting him for the first time in November 2020 in a small town called Idstein and have been covering him for 6 years and 34 interviews/articles for eurobasket/German Hoops have been produced in that time. You just have to Love him. There may not be a more talented guy to ever play in the Regionalliga Germany and never make the Pro B. Despite having a chip on his shoulder that has to be heavier than an elephant, the guy simply has always grinded and kept going. Playing in the Regionalliga doesn´t produce big pay checks, but he has learned over the years that earning money away from his playing career would be instrumental and he has done that with various off the court businesses that has allowed him to keep playing the game he loves. He is playing his 11th season in Luxemburg and continues to dominate at the tender age of 35. The guy is such an incredible competitor and has a heart of Gold and has that special self confidence in his game and himself that has allowed him to be successful on and off the court. “I´m 35 and been training harder than I ever have since I been overseas and my 3 ball is looking better than it ever has so I´m looking to have my best season ever So Don´t sleep on me. I don´t care what age I am when I step on that court I´m looking for blood, that´s my forever mentality”, warned Jeremy Ingram. This past summer he had the golden opportunity again to show the world just how good of a player he is and a confirmation that he is a lot better than in the leagues he has played in Germany, Croatia and Luxemburg as he proved his worth at the LGCY.
The LGCY was brought into life by the help of NBA player Dennis Schroeder which was an event where German national players formed teams that competed on state of the art courts in Berlin and Munich and combined it with entertainment. The event was stocked with a lot of NBA players like Franz Wagner and Isaac Bonga who supported their national team captain Dennis Schroeder. But the teams also needed other players from overseas and Jeremy Ingram who has played overseas for a decade was on board, but how does a guy who played most of his career in the Regionalliga get picked? “This team pretty much reached out to me to see if I was available. I know these guys from the basketball world and from playing in Berlin.”, stressed Jeremy Ingram who currently is in Germany again running his business in Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart. The American who also has balled in Luxemburg and Croatia in the past had to get used to some things he doesn´t usually see in a regular 40 minutes game. The rules had 4 quarters of 5 minutes each and 3 points for a dunk while the floor was of digital glass. “The first round of the tournament took us some time adjusting to the rules and really understanding it but we caught on pretty quick. Always try to get them dunks. The whole light up LED court was amazing and I actually had conversations with the guy who helped design it. It was super dope to play on but it was also very slippery. We were out there skating most of the game but it was still fun”, said Jeremy Ingram. What kind of teams did he play against and was there a club that was toughest to paly against me? “My team played against a Spain team both games and they were pretty decent but non of those guys can guard me. Respectfully”, added Jeremy Ingram.
The incredible one on one player who has a killer cross over to die for had really good players on his team including 4 first division players as well German Shawn Gulley that had Pro A experience. Due to certain circumstances, he had to show different facets of his game, but was there team ball involved or was it more isolation? “The first round of the tournament I had to play point guard so I felt very limited but I had some really good players on my team so I tried to just be a pg. In the 2nd round they brought in different point guards and moved me to the shooting guard and that´s where I got busy. Because I´m a natural scorer. I would say it was more iso because none of us really played with each other before so we didn´t really have too much chemistry on the court to be honest. We practiced maybe once or twice then we had to play so we played more streetball freestyle type of basketball”, warned Jeremy Ingram. The American was able to showcase much in his box including really sweet three´s, but was he overall content with his performance? “I always think I can play better but the way I play is fast and crossing people over but the court was so slippery it was hard to play that style so I just tried to take my shots and ended up going on a little hot streak so I would say I played pretty decent actually. Unfortunately my teammates weren´t able to hit too many of their shots so maybe I tried to take matters into my own hands a little too much. I get like that sometimes”, commented Jeremy Ingram. Was it difficult selecting just one favorite own play from the tournament or was the 3 level scorer who has countless breathtaking highlights each game pick only one? “Easily when I pulled up from like 6 feet behind the 3 point line. It was a heat check shot because I hit a 3 right before that”, remembered Jeremy Ingram.
Being able to battle at the LGCY was a massive stage for Jeremy Ingram. Where would he rank this experience in his all-time best basketball experiences? “I would say the Quai 54 in Paris was probably the all around best basketball event I have played in since I have been in Europe. But the LGCY atmosphere and just the stage and the light up floors was super dope so I rank this right there with the Quai 54”, stressed Jeremy Ingram. There was so much prominence there with guys like Franz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Andreas Obst so it was only logical that he would network. “Franz was pretty much around us the whole tournament, even our practices. He’s such a cool and laid back guy. I networked with a lot of people and players who play in other countries. I also was hanging with the guy who actually created the LGCY Series, he’s a very cool guy also”, said Jeremy Ingram. He had an amazing LGCY experience on and off the court especially meeting Dennis Schroeder and on the court proving he is a lot better than in any league he has ever played in overseas. “Dennis stayed in the same hotel as me and after watching me hoop came to me in the hotel and said “I heard you played for my team in Braunschweig a few years ago”. So apparently I was doing my thing in the LGCY for them to be talking about me and we took pictures together. That was probably my top moment from the LGCY event. I got respect from almost everyone there and even got respect from Dennis Schroder so that´s my confirmation right there that I was hooping out there. I learned that just because a lot of those guys are in higher leagues than me doesn’t mean they are better than me. I already knew that but playing against guys in this series just confirmed it. I can hang with the best of them”, warned Jeremy Ingram. He may be 35 years old, but still has strong wheels as he is in his 11th pro season overseas with Grengewald Hostert (Luxembourg-LBBL) “I am super excited to be back a part of the Grengewald family and even more excited to help them in the first league this season”, stated Jeremy Ingram. Last season he played with German Mr Regionalliga player Ricky Easterling who last season averaged 12,0ppg in the German Regionalliga with Saarlouis at age 42 while also coaching him in Luxemburg. Both have that killer mid range game. “Ricky and I have known each other for a long time. He is one of the most efficient players I have played against. He was a great player and already shaping out to be a great coach. Got nothing but love and respect for him”, stressed Jeremy Ingram. Could Easterling give him extra motivation to play until he is 40? “ Well I don’t know about playing until I´m 40. Not that I can’t, it´s just my business is becoming so big and the bigger it gets more time consuming, so we’ll see about playing until 40 but I doubt that”, added Jeremy Ingram. Even if he doesn´t play until 40, one should enjoy every new game of Jeremy Ingram in the future, because his game will always be unforgettable.
