Pinnacle High School came up just short of winning last year's Division-I state championship last season, after losing a first half lead to eventual state champion Corona Del Sol in the second half of a championship nail-biter. In the process, head coach Charlie Wilde and his team learned a lot about their group and saw the emergence of a couple key contributors for the 2013-2014 high school basketball season.
One of these emerging prospects during a strong season where Pinnacle finished with a 26-7 overall record was skilled 6-foot senior point guard prospect Trey Ingram. Throughout the high school season and during a strong playoff run, Ingram developed into one of the better point guard prospects in the state - averaging 10.9 points, 3.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per/game.
Ingram then carried over his strong play into the spring and summer months on the club circuit, while playing for his club program - The Magic (AZ), a version of the Compton Magic (CA). While being coached by Phoenix College assistant coach Ray Arvisu, Ingram picked up his play and produced against many of the top prospects in the West - displaying a high level of confidence and command-presence on the basketball court, amidst strong competition.
In my observations of Ingram this club season, I was very impressed with his ability to make shots and command the leadership of his team in high-pressure situations. Ingram showed superior confidence and proved that he can play with the best guards in the West - something that will help him a great deal this high school season as Pinnacle looks to win it all.
As a result of his strong play this club season, Ingram raised his exposure to college coaches and, ultimately, his overall college recruitment. Ingram advised me that he currently is hearing from such college programs as Idaho State, Weber State, Utah Valley, Binghamton, Dixie State and Minnesota-Duluth. While Ingram does not yet have a scholarship offer, he is hopeful to land an offer soon in the recruiting process.
Ingram is a talented guard prospect with a very good overall feel for the game and an ability to score the basketball with a variety of floaters and runners in traffic, over bigger defenders. He also uses a variety of cross-over and hesitation dribbles to create space for himself to score off the dribble, and has a nice ability to shoot the basketball with range on his shot - allowing him to keep defenses very honest with his shooting stroke. Ingram is a strong shooter of the basketball, which will suit him very well over time as he matures physically.
Ingram is a very good passer of the basketball as well, and makes other players around him better, as a result of his nice feel for the game. While he is a good scorer in his own right, Ingram often looks to get the basketball to the open man on the floor. The better players around him, the more effective he becomes. He likes to push the basketball up the floor, and is at his best in an up-tempo style of play. He is also a vocal leader that knows how to lead his team.
Ingram is also a good rebounder for his size and is a good on-the-ball defender that will not hurt his team defensively - often seen defending the opposing team's top offensive players.
Ingram will return this high school season to lead another loaded Pinnacle HS team, and should raise his overall numbers significantly. A talented Pinnacle group will look to win a Division-I state title this season that will not be easily relinquished by two-time defending state champ Corona Del Sol. Ingram will be the driving force and a major contributor in Pinnacle's pursuit.
