Lehigh men’s basketball first-year guard Joshua Ingram was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the week of Feb. 12.
It was the culmination of a season that saw the first-year from Metuchen, New Jersey, step into a starting role after injuries sidelined junior guard Keith Higgins and senior guard Jalin Sinclair.
Ingram won the award after an offensive explosion against Patriot League opponents Bucknell and Loyola (Md.). Over the week, Ingram averaged 17 points per game, shot 47.4% from the field, 45.5% from three-point range and 100% on free throws.
In Lehigh’s 71-63 victory against Bucknell on Feb. 12, Ingram posted up a career-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds. This was followed by a 10 points, two rebounds, one assist performance and a career-best three steals in the 75-70 win over Loyola (Md.) on Feb. 17.
When talking about his transition from high school to the collegiate level, Ingram attributed his successes to his coaches, teammates and his every-day improvement.
“The transition at first was hard, but over time I trained with coaches and found what works in practices and in games to be more productive when it comes to game time,” Ingram said. “My motivation is wanting to get better every day so that I can see my game improve on the court.”
His teammate, junior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney, credited Ingram’s success to his work ethic.
“(Ingram) is extremely hard-working. He’s always putting in work before practice to get better and he always wants to improve,” Whitney-Sidney said. “He’s a fantastic rebounder and on top of that, his defense has improved over the course of the year. Obviously, he’s a good scorer but I think it’s the intangible things that make him so valuable to our team.”
Ingram averaged 6.5 points per game in the regular season with 3.6 rebounds per game, with both marks leading Lehigh first-years.
Billy Dunn, Lehigh men’s basketball student-athlete support and enrichment coordinator, said Ingram’s character and maturity have left a lasting effect on the team this year.
“Josh has a unique ability as a first-year player to handle the intensity and demands of playing basketball at a high level and making his academics a high priority,” Dunn said. “Josh leads through his actions and consistency and he is a joy to watch. He might be a first-year, but he plays with a high degree of maturity.”
Ingram has selfless expectations for himself in regard to helping the team make a run during tournament play, but he keeps his sights set on winning a ring.
He stepped into the starting lineup on Jan. 10 against Bucknell and has maintained that role since. Ingram’s efficient scoring has become a key element to coach Brett Reed’s high-scoring offense, which leads the Patriot League in points per game at 72.8.
“Josh embodies the culture and values that coach Reed has for the men in the program,” Dunn said. “His growth has been an important part of this team’s success and he is a well-rounded player.”
Lehigh finished February with a 5-4 record, with two losses to end the season against Boston University and Lafayette College. The Mountain Hawks finished 9-9 in Patriot League play and will face off against Lafayette in the first round of the playoffs in Easton on Thursday, March 7.
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