'She’s one of my best friends': Harrison Ingram dishes on his biggest Blue Devil foe — his sister

In the players’ lounge postgame after the UNC men’s basketball victory over Wake Forest, Harrison Ingram pointed to white scars on his left forearm, elbow and cheek. 

Are the spindly scars from diving all over the court or fighting for rebounds? Maybe just the regular wear and tear of a D1 athlete? 

Nope. The scars are from his younger sister Lauren.

“We fought — do you see the scar right here?” Harrison said, pointing to his scratched-up arms. “Yeah, this is from her. I mean, we fought.”

The three Ingram siblings, Will, Harrison and Lauren, grew up in Dallas. Will carved out his own path, playing Division III basketball at Middlebury and going on to work in finance, while Harrison and Lauren eventually came to call North Carolina home — albeit on opposite sides of Tobacco Road.

While Lauren finds herself in Durham as an outside hitter for the Duke volleyball team, Harrison dons Carolina Blue as a standout small forward for the Tar Heel men’s basketball team. 

Despite being two years younger, Lauren said she found her way to North Carolina independent of her older brother, committing to Duke at the end of her junior year of high school. Harrison, on the other hand, had moved out to sunny California to play his first years of collegiate ball at Stanford. 

After two years, Harrison entered the transfer portal and found a new home in Chapel Hill with head coach Hubert Davis.

But, from Lauren’s point of view, she’s the reason he made the swap.

“I was teasing him like, ‘Oh, like you followed me,'" Lauren told The Daily Tar Heel. "'You didn't want to be that far away from me, all the way across the country.'"

Has the rivalry caused a rift in the Ingram siblings? Despite the periodic booing when walking into the opposing gym  — Harrison can attest to wearing a UNC hoodie at a Duke volleyball game is not a recipe for camaraderie — it has only brought the pair closer. 

 “Since I've gotten out here, I'd say she’s one of my best friends now,” Harrison said. 

These days the siblings will happily chow down on Sutton’s Drug Store's chicken caesar wraps, but things were not as peaceful years ago in the Lone Star State. 

The aisle seat

The younger Ingrams were chock-full of competitive fire — even when it came down to travel arrangements. 

"When I turned 10 to age 15, we went on no family vacations because we would literally argue about everything," Harrison said.

Harrison vividly recalls one fight over the aisle seat. When Lauren didn’t get her way, instead of taking a less-preferred seat on the plane, she hightailed it to the jetway. 

"She just got off the plane and started running," Harrison said. "We were like, 'What are you doing?' My parents had to go get her."

If there’s one thing to know about Harrison's relationship with Lauren, it’s that antagonizing his little sister is one of his top priorities. 

“He loves to talk his shit for sure,” Lauren said. 

Well, Harrison?  

“One hundred percent correct,” Harrison said. “I say whatever I want, whenever I want.”

Flurries of words, fists and fits flew around the Ingram household. Harrison might’ve won the physical battles with Lauren — never leaving without a souvenir scar or two — but he would always ultimately lose whenever his parents entered the situation. 

“I used to hate chores, cleaning the house,” Harrison said. “I mean, I remember one time it was like, from now on when my sister and I got in a fight, I had to clean the house.”  

“I can assure you, they’ve never cleaned the house,” their mother Vera told The DTH.

The competitive sibling spirit serves Lauren well. She attributes her edge to her constant effort of trying to beat her older brother. 

“We just always take it very seriously,” Lauren said. “So it’s definitely made me. I feel like that's where I kind of get my competitive spirit from. It's always playing games with my brother and trying to beat him.”

At a moment’s notice

Even though some bickering persists — you know, with the Tobacco Road Rivalry and all — having two kids in one area is a gift for Vera. 

“Harrison takes really good care of [Lauren],” Vera said. “It makes life for me a lot easier. I can have a peaceful mind at night knowing that he's nearby. He's been a really good big brother to her. He's very loving, actually more than you would think a big brother would be.” 

The UNC basketball stalwart even went so far as to support his sister by showing up to a Duke volleyball game in a Blue Devils shirt — in the nosebleeds of course. 

Harrison takes his big brother duties seriously, inquiring about his sister, willing to pick her up at a moment’s notice, while also giving her room to grow in her own environment. 

“She's tough, thick-skinned. Really for me, the most important thing about my sister is just how close we are,” Harrison said. "I mean, she trusts me with anything.” 

At the end of the day, the Ingram pair will put down their sibling aggravation, pick up their Sutton's and lovingly chat about their lives. 

But competition always rears its head. Don’t think about bringing up who’s the favorite child. Lauren thinks it's Harrison, and Harrison knows it’s Lauren. 

“She's definitely the favorite child because if we get in a fight, she could walk up to me and slap me, and I’m the one cleaning the house,” Harrison said. 

And will Lauren be in the Dean E. Smith Center on Feb. 3 for the first installment of this year’s Tobacco Road Rivalry, cheering on her Tar Heel brother? 

Well, if it’s up to Harrison, there is no question about it. 

“She better be there."

Gwen Peace contributed reporting to this story.

@gracegnugent

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com