The matchup between Georgia and Vanderbilt at Stegeman Coliseum this past Saturday was a reunion for two former Morgan County boys’ basketball players.
Jailyn Ingram and Tyrin Lawrence faced off against each for the first time in their college career. The Commodores were able to upset the Bulldogs, defeating them 85-82 in Athens.
Lawrence, a junior at Vanderbilt, scored the team’s second-best 15 points. He also pulled down four rebounds, dished out two assists and recorded two steals in the win.
Ingram didn’t make much of an impact for Georgia as he’s still recovering from an injury, although he did play three minutes and pulled down a rebound in the loss.
Lawrence highlighted he was happy to return to his home state and knock off the Bulldogs.
“It was a fun atmosphere being able to play in front of a lot of my friends and family,” Lawrence told the Lake Oconee News on Saturday. “I am very glad they came out to support me, and luckily we got the win. So, overall, it was a great experience.”
Former Georgia head coach Tom Crean never recruited Lawrence out of high school, and he took that as “motivation” heading into Saturday’s SEC matchup in Athens.
“I thought I was good enough to come here, but for some reason, they never gave me a chance (out of high school),” Lawrence said. “I definitely used that as motivation, and right now, I am 4-0 against Georgia. So, I really want to keep that going.”
Lawrence has taken on a more important role during his junior campaign at Vanderbilt.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard and Jordan Wright average a team’s second-best 11.1 points per game. Lawrence is also averaging 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 2022-23.
Current Georgia men’s basketball head coach Mike White was previously at the University of Florida and has faced Lawrence several times before arriving in Athens.
“Lawrence is such a good player, one of the most improved players in our league, in my opinion,” White said to LON during a Georgia men’s basketball media session last Thursday.
“A guy that has got it on a string, that can drive it either way, he’s a lefty, herky-jerky, just hard to stay in front of. A really competitive player.”
Lawrence grew up watching Ingram play, despite only being a few years younger than him.
“I definitely talked to him before the game,” Lawrence said of Ingram. “Us being from the same place, I watched him coming up, so I took from his game and tried to learn as much as I could. It’s just great being able to compete against him. He’s my guy.”
Ingram helped lead Morgan County to state championships in 2014 and 2016. He was also named the Georgia Class 3A Player of the Year as a senior (2016) for the Bulldogs.
In 2019, Lawrence followed in Ingram’s footsteps. He was named the Class AAA Player of the Year and led Morgan County to a state championship in 2019 as a senior.
Ingram acknowledged that he has a massive amount of respect for Lawrence.
“We actually didn’t play together in high school, but we grew up around the same area, so we’re very familiar with each other,” Ingram said last Thursday. “He ended up going to my high school the year after I left. We definitely had the same coaches. Whenever I came back home from school, I’d talk to him and work out with him.”
Ingram has followed Lawrence’s career path since he graduated from Morgan County.
“He’s a one-of-a-kind talent,” Ingram said. “He can do pretty much everything and has a height (advantage) at the point guard position. Very versatile. So, he’s a good player.”
The seventh-year Georgia senior is working his way back into shape after last year’s injury and has helped the Bulldogs in a limited capacity this season under White.
“He’s taken on a leadership role, a locker room voice, a voice of reason. What he says holds weight and continues to do so,” White said of Ingram “He’s been frustrated at times. We’re in a sport where you’ve got 13 guys on most teams, on scholarship, and a couple of walk-ons. You’ve got numbers, but you can only play five. He wants opportunities and he’s earned some. He’s got to continue to work to earn more.
“He’s had some big moments for us, though. There were a couple of games, where if he doesn’t play the way he plays, we don’t win those games. He’s continuing, at the same time, to get back to 100% physically. I give credit to his work ethic with what he’s been through,” White added. “I can’t imagine what he’s been through those three times, and then the minor thing that he had to set him back a couple of months, on top of the third major surgery. He’s got a great feel, a high basketball IQ.”
Lawrence echoed the Georgia head coach’s sentiment about how Ingram is a leader.
“We come from the same area, so I know what kind of a leader he is,” Lawrence said. “I have a lot of respect for him and look up to Jailyn. He’s accomplished a lot.”