Cameron Ingram ‘20 is no stranger to being the youngest.
He is the last of three boys in his family and, in initial meetings with the Milwaukee Bucks organization, he was one of the youngest potential interns. Now, at just 24 years old, Ingram is the youngest athletic director in the state of Ohio, serving Medina Christian Academy.
Ingram’s passion for sports began when he was young, as he and his brothers looked up to the example their father set.
“Our dad was a college athlete, and we were all inspired by him. We all wanted to be great, too,” said Ingram.
It was this admiration and love of sports that guided Ingram to Malone in the first place. After attending three high schools, all with sports in mind, he was faced with a bevy of schools to continue his athletic career.
“I was looking at quite a few places to play,” said Ingram. “Some top choices were Notre Dame College and Malone, but universities like Pittsburgh and Michigan were interested in me as a walk-on as well.”
Even with these choices in front of him, Ingram knew that Malone was going to be the place for him.
“From the get-go it felt like a family,” said Ingram.
Ingram’s upbringing, especially the influence of his grandmother, also encouraged him to attend a Christian school.
“The Christian values of Malone helped a lot,” said Ingram. “My grandmother really taught me the way, so a Christian school was always in the mix.”
After an unfortunate broken leg during his freshman year, Cameron had to take stock of what he could pursue during his time at Malone while he healed.
“My adviser was super helpful and actually encouraged me to switch my major to sport management,” said Ingram.
From there, Ingram’s career path began to take shape with the help and guidance of Malone faculty.
“Professor Bankert was super helpful from the start,” said Ingram. “Most of my classes were with him, but everyone in the business department, as well as department alumni, were extremely helpful as well.”
Ingram benefited from the strengths and legitimacy of Malone’s sport management program.
“The program that Professor Bankert has helped build at such a small school is incredible - NBA teams know and respect the name Malone when it comes to sport management,” he said.
It was a natural fit, then, for Ingram to intern with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks as a Junior Sales Associate.
“The opportunity was amazing, and I was able to see how the organization itself worked. They had an open office plan, so everyone was around each other. I learned something from every department,” said Ingram.
At Malone, Ingram was encouraged in collaboration and openness as well. The same top-to-bottom availability he experienced within the Bucks’ organization was a natural way of life at Malone.
“Malone has a real open door policy. You really feel that family aspect, even if they’re things that you don’t notice or think about at the moment,” said Ingram. “If I had a question I knew I could walk into Professor Bankert’s office. I could do the same with any of my coaches. I was even able to meet one-on-one with Dr. King, and he connected me with Canton area leaders which was extremely helpful and impactful.”
Now, as the athletic director and boys basketball coach for Medina Christian Academy, Ingram is taking these experiences and lessons and applying them to his work.
“A huge thing for me is to stay humble and be like a sponge, there’s just so much to learn. I really learned the importance of attitude from my coaches,” said Ingram. “It’s something I try to do everyday; I try to be available to everyone and set the same energy for my team.”
Ingram hopes to continue his work as athletic director and eventually continue his education at the graduate level. He encourages current and future students to take advantage of the family-like atmosphere of Malone.
“Don’t hesitate to seek help, and stay patient. Even in crazy times things will work out like they’re supposed to, and there’s an entire community of people at Malone to show you that.”
Original source can be found here.
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