ATHENS — Georgia men’s basketball welcomed back Jailyn Ingram on Sunday afternoon.
The Madison native suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 7, 2021, in a game against Jacksonville. He suffered an ACL tear at the 14:21 mark of the second half and hadn’t stepped foot on the court in live action until Sunday’s matchup against the Buccaneers.
Ingram only played four minutes in Georgia’s 62-47 victory over ETSU. However, he was greeted by a standing ovation from his coaches, teammates, and the Bulldog faithful when he came into the game on Sunday. He certainly felt the love at Stegeman Coliseum.
“It meant a lot. I haven’t had that experience in almost a year,” Ingram said. “It felt good to step on the court and get a standing ovation from the crowd, give the team some energy and come out with a win.”
Georgia was in a tight battle with the Buccaneers when Ingram entered the game. His presence was felt as his fellow Bulldog teammates went on an offensive run when he was on the floor. Ingram also recorded a steal in his four minutes played.
Justin Hill and Terry Roberts were able to hit consecutive 3-pointers a minute after Ingram was brought into the game. Those two shots put Georgia up 48-36 with 12:27 remaining. The Bulldogs went on to limit ETSU to only score 11 more points from that point on.
“I’m glad for him. During his rehab, even when he came from the training room, he would work hard,” Georgia freshman KyeRon Lindsay said. “You could see the stuff he was doing.”
Ingram was one of Georgia’s most important players before he went down last season with the injury. He was averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game before it occurred.
The former Morgan County standout has been working hard to get back onto the court. He’s been rehabbing as much as he can and working with the UGA training staff.
Ingram has meant so much to the program since he arrived in Athens. Former Bulldogs’ head coach Tom Crean cried in his postgame Zoom interview after the Jacksonville game. Jaxon Etter also shed tears after Ingram went down.
The Florida Atlantic transfer had established himself as a leader in the locker room for the Bulldogs. Now, he’s still seen as one of the program’s most important players in 2022.
He’s viewed that way under new Georgia head coach Mike White. The first-year Georgia coach has looked to Ingram to help be a role model for the new players that arrived after he was hired. The two have developed a strong relationship since he arrived in Athens.
"We have had a few conversations. One pretty in-depth maybe a week to ten days ago where he wanted to know if he would have the opportunity,” White said about Ingram on Tuesday. “You respect that. You want guys that want to talk about it. That is one of the big staples of this program. We are going to be transparent with one another, and we are going to have real relationships. It was communicated to him again that you have got to earn minutes. Unfortunately, he is behind these other guys. He has done a great job getting himself physically ready, at least almost physically ready. You have a little bit more ways to go getting back to 100 percent. He is getting closer. His attitude has been great.”
Ingram wants to have an impact in his final year of eligibility. He will have to work hard and keep grinding in the coming weeks as the Bulldogs’ schedule heats up in December.
“He has led from day one. He has been as big a mouth in our locker room as anyone, along with probably Jaxon (Etter),” White said. “I am probably leaving someone out, although those guys come to mind pretty quickly. He has worked and I am very proud of him. Who knows what is in store? He played some really meaningful minutes the other night.”
Ingram also understands his role and has a lot of work to get back into a healthy routine. He also acknowledges if he doesn’t get playing time right away, he knows why. Ingram was more of a vocal leader off the court when he was in rehab for his injury.
"If you can't help the team physically, you've got to try to help the team in any other aspect,” Ingram explained. “So, I just kind of sat down with myself and said, 'how can I help the team right now (when I am) not playing?' So, the only thing I can use is my voice. I just try to be that vocal leader that we have been needing and I will continue to do that."