MONTVERDE, Fla.- One of the top basketball recruits in the Class of 2025 is on the move for the upcoming season.
4-star shooting guard CJ Ingram, who is currently a University of Florida commit announced on Monday afternoon he is transferring to national powerhouse Montverde Academy.
Ingram, is the son of former Florida Gator tight end Cornelius Ingram.
He spent his first three seasons playing at Hawthorne High School just north of Gainesville where he won a couple of state championships in basketball as well as in football- which is the same high school his father attended.
Ingram also won the Florida Mr. Football Award as a junior last season, where he played quarterback for the Hornets throwing for 2618 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also had 62 carries for 333 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
However, Ingram decided to solely focus on basketball this season where he also put up some efficient numbers on the hardwood as a junior averaging 24 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He was also named the Gainesville-Sun All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
He also won the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior.
According to 247Sports, Ingram is the No. 8 ranked small forward in the nation and the No. 7 overall ranked player in the state of Florida for the upcoming recruiting cycle.
Montverde Academy is coming off a 35-0 season last year where they won the City of Palms Classic, and Chipotle National Championship led by Cooper Flagg (Now at Duke), Liam McNeeley (Now at Indiana), and Asa Newell (Now at Georgia)
The Eagles have re-loaded once again this season where Ingram will now be teammates with Villanova commit Dante Allen, Creighton commit Hudson Greer, Indiana commit Trent Sisley, LSU commit Mazi Mosley, and 5-star junior small forward Kayden Allen.
The Eagles tip-off the 2024-2025 season on Monday, November 25 against Wasatch Academy (Utah) in the Five For Flight Nike EYBL Scholastic event in Mount Pleasant, Utah.
Here’s Adam Finkelstein, Director of Scouting 247Sports on Ingram: Ingram is a physically imposing wing. He has good positional size, a long and cut-up frame, and explosive athleticism. He plays an attacking two-way style, putting a lot of pressure on the rim offensively and bringing similar tenacity to the defensive end of the floor. He can be dynamic in the open floor but is also capable of getting paint touches in the half-court as he goes right at opposing defenders and not only plays through contact but initiates it and likes it. He also has a way of making slight changes in direction, allowing him to adapt on the way to the rim while simultaneously maintaining his line.
Ingram’s guard skills, and most specifically his shooting, remain a work in progress. He shot just 18% from three, on very low volume (averaging just 0.3 made threes/game), and 56% from the free-throw line in EYBL player per Synergy Sports. Mechanically, he has a bit a flatter ball, but no other glaring red flags in his release that should prevent him from improving. He also posted a negative assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.9 assists against 2.8 turnovers, illustrating his need to continue to upgrade his decision-maker, particularly when he’s in attack mode.
