On Saturday afternoon, freshman forward Harrison Ingram announced that he was withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to Stanford for his sophomore season.
The decision comes two months after Ingram became the third Stanford freshman to declare for the draft in three years. He followed Ziaire Williams ’24, who was picked 10th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and Tyrell Terry ’23, who was drafted with the 31st pick in 2020.
In high school, Ingram played for St. Mark’s School in Dallas and was a McDonald’s All-American. He ended his prep career as the No. 22-ranked player in ESPN’s Top 100 and was Stanford’s highest recruit in the class of 2025.
On the Farm, the 6-foot-7 forward quickly earned a reputation as a versatile scorer and strong defender. In his rookie campaign, he averaged 10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest en route to becoming Stanford’s first Pac-12 Freshman of the Year since Casey Jacobsen in 2000.
During the season, Ingram was also named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week six times — the second-most number of times in Pac-12 history — and was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
It was this success that led Ingram to declare for the draft, where he was widely projected to be a mid-to-late second-round pick.
Now, his return marks the latest news in a noteworthy offseason for the Stanford men’s basketball team. After a 16-16 overall performance during the 2021-2022 season and an 8-12 Pac-12 record, the Cardinal are set to return six of the team’s top seven scorers and eight of the top nine leaders in minutes.
Earlier this offseason, sophomore guard Noah Taitz committed to Loyola Marymount University, and senior forward Jaiden Delaire declared that he would transfer to the University of San Diego for his final college season.
Ingram’s return coincides with the additions of incoming freshmen Ryan Agrawal from Coppell, Texas and Jaylen Thompson from Oakland, Calif. The team will also welcome its first transfer player since 2009, graduate student guard Michael Jones from Davidson College.
These newcomers and Ingram will undoubtedly help the Cardinal compete in the ultra-competitive Pac-12 next season. Last season, the Arizona Wildcats swept the conference’s regular season and tournament titles, while Stanford finished in ninth.