CIRCLEVILLE — One thing that hasn’t changed much on the scouting report for teams playing Logan Elm the last four years is they needed to keep Kiki Ingram under control, but that was easier said than done. And the Logan Elm senior is wrapping up her career as the 45th winner of the Jeff Sheets Award as Pickaway County’s top senior girls basketball player.
“I think that for Kiki, (basketball) allows her competitive nature to come out,” Logan Elm coach Mike Schultz said. “It is a very natural thing for her — something that she’s very talented and passionate in. So, she’s definitely a competitor, and it comes out.”
That competitive nature and the ability to score went together in pushing Ingram to seventh on the area’s all-time scorers list (regardless of gender) with 1,677 points.
“I’ll have to give a big thanks to my dad (Kamal). We’re always working together, and he’s always down to shoot. Whatever time it is, whether it’s like in the morning or late at night, and he’s always asking if I want to shoot,” Ingram said. “Even if I’m not in the mood, so then I have to really say yes. He’s just always there, and we put a lot of time in.”
Her love for the game started when she’d go to her older brother’s practices, as her dad was helping with the team.
“I just really liked it. I started dribbling at their practices and everybody was just telling me I was going to be really good. I would dribble with my left hand and stuff, and it’d just be really fun,” Ingram said. “I always just tried to fit in with their practices and try and play with them.”
Ingram made the varsity lineup as a freshman, doing her best to match up with the older girls.
“It’s not easy, and all these girls are already experienced, and I feel like I’m starting all over again. Just seeing how good everybody is and just trying to really fit in and not look like the little freshmen out there and just try and look like I’ve been there for a while,” she said.
Schultz took over the program three years ago.
“Because I started her sophomore year, it was one of those, we knew the talent that she already presented as a sophomore and we were trying to put her in the right position to be able to shine,” Schultz said. “Last year, her junior year, she was our point guard. She brought the ball down the court a lot, at the beginning. But this year, with Palin (Wray) and Gillian (Savage) capable of running that point, we talked early on about putting her on the wing because it just gives her an opportunity to get the ball a little bit earlier in space, in a different area to attack.
“She accepted that role for us. But again, it also incorporated her teammates as well. She knows the value that she presents, but she also understands the value of her teammates.”
As she got older and, especially as a senior this year, Ingram grew into a leadership role.
“There were a lot of freshmen, so I feel like I had to be a leader,” Ingram said. “I always have a positive attitude, and go hard in practice, so they know what it feels like, because the three of us seniors are, like, it’s a pretty good team, so we’re just going to have to make everybody better every day in practices, so they can have something good next year.”
Ingram helped set a high standard for her team.
“One of the things that we talked about at our banquet at the end was the legacy that they get to leave behind. Not very many teams get to end their senior year saying that we were a 20-win team,” Schultz said. “A lot of that comes down to the seniors. A lot of that comes down to Kiki as well.
“We actually talked at our banquet about the legacy that they are leaving behind and that it would be a shame if the freshmen through juniors didn’t pick up that legacy and be able to continue it. That’s what Kiki and those seniors are leaving behind. So, it’s been a great ride.”
It has been helpful as a coach to know that Ingram was in the lineup and was almost a lock at double-digit scoring.
“It makes the job easy, very easy, because even when we know that that other teams are going to game plan for her — whether or not they’re going to do a box-and-one or triangle-and-two or face guard her — we know that she has the knack, that we can give her opportunities,” Schultz said. “We can show her, within the scope of our offense, what’s going to be available. But we know that she’s going to have moments where she’s just going to be able to create her own shot.”
Among her senior season achievements, Ingram was named First-Team All-MSL, First Team All-Southeast District in Division IV and Second Team All-Ohio.
“Her legacy is her hard work and dedication to this sport,” Schultz said. “She has such a knack of just knowing what to do and when she’s supposed to do it.
“Again, a generational talent as far as what she’s able to bring to the game. This is going to give a lot of those younger players, all the way down to biddy, where they see her, and she has star power in their minds — she’s going to be long remembered. She’s going to be sorely missed.”
After graduation, Ingram is headed to Rio Grande where she will be studying respiratory therapy and continue her basketball career with the RedStorm.
Jeff Sheets Award winners
1982 — Melissa Azbell, Westfall
1983 — Teresa Musselman, Westfall
1984 — Teena Keith, Teays Valley
1985 — Holly Hastings, Teays Valley
1986 — Laura James, Teays Valley
1987 — Amy Wright, Teays Valley
1988 — Paula Everts, Teays Valley
1989 — Lesley Wilson, Logan Elm
1990 — Amy Colborn, Teays Valley
1991 — Ursula Stonerock, Circleville
1992 — Trina Muzingo, Teays Valley
1993 — Gail Adams, Logan Elm
1994 — Julie Good, Logan Elm
1995 — Mindy Fusetti,Teays Valley
1996 — Bridget Oberer, Teays Valley
1997 — Anna Musselman, Teays Valley
1998 — Laurie Barr, Teays Valley
1999 — Kristin Griebel, Circleville
2000 — Tara Wright, Westfall
2001 — Ashley Palmer, Circleville
2002 — Kelsey Schleich, Westfall
2003 — Samantha Hood, Teays Valley
2004 — Kristen Tisdale, Logan Elm
2005 — Amanda Angles, Westfall
2006 — Keri Callihan, Teays Valley
2007 — Andrea Anderson, Logan Elm
2008 — Casse Mogan, Circleville
2009 — Kellie Willis, Circleville
2010 — Alyvia Clark, Logan Elm
2011 — Emily Robinson, Logan Elm
2012 — Caitlin Cain, Teays Valley
2013 — Taylor Saxton, Logan Elm
2014 — Rebekah Branham, Circleville
2015 — Mallory Grabans, Teays Valley
2016 — Shayna Harmon, Teays Valley
2017 — Jordin Blakeman, Circleville
2018 — Jill Congrove, Logan Elm
2019 — Reagan Willingham, Teays Valley
2020 — Abby Hatter, Logan Elm
2021 — Kenzie McConnell, Circleville
2022 — Jenna Horsley, Teays Valley
2023 — Maren McCallister, New Hope
2024 — Kennedy Younkin, Teays Valley
2025 — Maggie Wilson, Logan Elm
2026 — Kiannah Ingram, Logan Elm
— The award is named in honor of hall of fame girls basketball coach Jeff Sheets, who amassed a 313-103 record in 18 seasons leading Teays Valley. The Vikings won nine Mid-State League titles, five Central District crowns and finished as a regional runner-up twice during his leadership of the program. Sheets went on to serve as superintendent of Teays Valley and Westfall school districts.
So Proud of the young lady she has become! Keep up the amazing work KiKi. I will be watching from afar