UNC's Harrison Ingram Declares For 2024 NBA Draft; Forgoes Final Year of Eligibility

Harrison Ingram, a three-year starter at Stanford and North Carolina, is declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft.

The former five-star recruit announced his decision Saturday on social media.

Ingram averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for the Tar Heels as North Carolina earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season.

North Carolina will face a steep uphill climb back to the top of the ACC after losing several starters this offseason. Ingram and Armando Bacot, who is also leaving the Tar Heels after using up his college eligibility, combined for more than half of UNC's rebounds last season.

The Tar Heels are losing another starter in Cormac Ryan, who just finished out his final year of college eligibility.

UNC is still waiting for a decision from RJ Davis, the ACC Player of the Year who has one year of college eligibility still remaining.

North Carolina will now have to rebuild its starting roster after becoming the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated from the 2024 NCAA Tournament during the Sweet 16.

"To my coaching staff, we came in here with the goal to win the national championship. Although we came up short, the confidence that you instilled in me, the lessons I learned and the memories I'll have will last in me forever," Ingram said a video shared alongside the announcement.

Ingram is projected as a first-round pick by Jonathan Wasserman, who has him going at No. 27 pick in the latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft for Bleacher Report.

"Ingram's improved shotmaking off the catch and dribble are behind his rise up boards, but he's become a well-rounded forward with secondary playmaking skill and defensive/rebounding activity," Wasserman wrote.

Other mock drafts place Ingram somewhere around a late first-round or early second-round pick.

The forward's draft stock may have been helped by UNC head coach Hubert Davis, who has praised Ingram throughout the year as a "complete player."

Ingram also improved in almost every statistical category during his third college season. He shot a career-high 43 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from deep on 4.6 attempts per game, while adding 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals.

His best rebounding performance came on Jan. 10 during a win over NC State, when he pulled down 19 rebounds to record the most ever by a UNC player in the rivalry game.

Having established himself as a dominant rebounder in the ACC, Ingram is now likely to get the chance to see if his skills transfer to the NBA.