Harrison Ingram confirms that he is "all-in" on the NBA Draft

After competing in a scrimmage at the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday afternoon, former UNC basketball standout Harrison Ingram spoke to the media.

Of course, the media had questions regarding his future plans, as he seems rather definitive in what he plans on doing.

Even though all signs pointed to Ingram firmly staying in the NBA Draft, the former Tar Heel confirmed it by stating that he is "all in" on starting his professional career.

“I'm all in. I'm all in. I ​mean, ​obviously, ​it's ​open. ​That's ​more just ​so ​if ​I ​get ​injured, ​knock ​on ​wood, if something ​happened, ​I ​get ​injured ​or ​something ​like ​that. ​I ​was ​like, ​keep ​my ​options ​open. ​There's ​no ​reason ​to ​close ​it. My ​parents ​always ​told ​me ​to never ​make ​the ​decision ​till the ​last ​moment. ​So ​now ​I'm ​trying ​to ​be ​smart ​and ​keep ​it ​open, ​but ​I'm ​staying ​in.”

As Ingram perfectly stated, maintaining his collegiate eligibility is a good backup plan to keep in case of an injury or another type of unforseen circumstance. However, even though his options are open, the option to go pro seems to have a 99.9% commitment from Ingram, with that mere .1% being a return to Chapel Hill.

Yeah, don't expect that to happen.

Ingram was also asked about his communication with the Tar Heels coaching staff, as he explained how he's been very open and upfront with Hubert Davis and the rest of the staff.

“100%. ​I ​mean, ​I ​told ​them ​before ​anybody, ​before ​anybody ​knew. ​I ​was ​very ​straight ​up ​with ​them ​for ​this ​relationship ​we ​have ​and ​I ​told ​them ​from ​the ​start ​my ​plan ​is ​to ​stay ​in ​the ​draft. ​My ​plan ​is ​to ​go. ​They ​knew ​before ​everybody, ​and ​I ​didn't  ​want ​them ​to ​be ​held ​back ​by ​my ​decision ​and ​not ​be ​able ​to ​recruit ​everybody. ​I ​told ​them, ​obviously, ​they ​didn't ​need ​my ​permission, but ​I ​was ​like, ​you can recruit ​whoever ​you ​want, ​go ​do ​whatever ​you ​want. ​If ​I ​do ​end ​up, ​for ​some ​reason ​, coming ​back, ​I'm ​fine at ​finding ​my ​position, ​but I ​know ​they ​have ​a ​job ​to ​do ​, and ​they ​have ​a ​family ​to ​feed.”

It's refreshing to see Ingram being straight up with the coaching staff, as it shows the relationship they've built in just a span of a few months. Having been a transfer around this time a year ago, Ingram understands that roster decisions have to be made, as dragged out decisions could ultimately hurt the program from shaping next year's team.

Harrison Ingram is fully focused on the next step in his career, as his season at North Carolina helped prepare him for this moment. Now, the hope is that Ingram will help his draft stock over the next few weeks and land with a organization that can help him develop into a star at the next level.