It’s easy to recognize the Wake Forest basketball players. They all crowd around the same table at the Pit – some have headphones in, others are yelling loudly at the game on TV, and all of them look like they have to duck so they don’t hit the ceiling. Jump to the other side of the Pit, and note a table of ‘regular’ guys wrapped up in a goofy conversation. Aaron Ingle is one of these guys enjoying his dinner with funny friends and savoring time off from a busy schedule.
Aaron’s just your typical Wake Forest student. He goes to class, he studies, he hangs out with friends, and he plays ACC basketball. Yes, you read that last part right. Aaron is just your “average” everyday walk-on point guard for the Demon Deacon basketball team. Does he have a spot at the “baller” table? Sure he does, but he is also content balancing his life between basketball, school and friends. Okay, we take it back. Maybe he’s not quite so typical.
Growing up in Weaverville, North Carolina, Aaron participated in just about every sport available to him while growing up. In middle school he began to focus on basketball and decided to attend The Christ School in Asheville, an all-boys institution known for its academics and elite basketball team. He began high school with the dream to play NCAA basketball at a smaller university, but by the time his four years were finished, Aaron was ready to enjoy a normal college life.
Wake Forest was barely on Aaron’s radar when he began applying to colleges.
“Wake was one of my last choices; I only applied because the college counselor told me to,” explains Aaron. An assistant coach of the Wake team gave Aaron a tour of the university and encouraged him to try out in the fall. He wasn’t quite sold on playing basketball at the college level, but he had been won over by Wake’s campus and decided to attend.
Aaron gave an admittedly half-hearted try out during his freshman year, but returned as a sophomore with renewed dedication to the sport, proudly earning a coveted spot on the team. Now a junior, Aaron has become a valuable asset to the Deacons. He earned playing time early this season when starting players were sidelined with injuries, and he continued to sub-in throughout the year.
“It was great to be back in that role where you are having to get ready for games and are getting to play,” says Aaron.
On-the-court performance isn’t Aaron’s only contribution. Along with the 4 other walk-ons, he is responsible for preparing the starting squad for each game.
“Our main job is to scout the other team. We practice before everyone else and we meet with the coach who is scouting the other team and we learn their plays.”
The walk-ons then face the Wake Forest starters as the opposing team, acting as the opposing players and running their plays.
“We are pretty competitive with the actual team. It’s fun just trying to beat them.”
Even with all the preparation, this year was harder than most for the Deacs. With an end result of 8-24, Aaron admits that this season was difficult for the team.
“We were upset because as much time as we put in and as much as we invest ourselves in it, to be losing more than you’re winning makes it hard to stay positive,” says Aaron. “When you lose a lot of games, everyone just talks about how bad you are. The morale going down was definitely part of it; that mixed with everyone being young and losing players to injury. It was a mixture of a lot of things.”
But even with the losing season, Aaron isn’t discouraged; he is thankful for the opportunity to be on the team and for the invaluable experiences that come with it.
“The best part of it all is getting to play competitive basketball, against some of the great guys in the country, whether it’s in practice or in games,” says Aaron. “And growing up watching the ACC . . . it’s pretty crazy to take a step back and think that I’m playing.”
And of course there are many fun moments, like the walk-on tradition of hot tubbing in every hotel that the team stays in, being a part of team meals at great restaurants before games, and getting the chance to play against old high school teammates who also made it to the college level.
Aaron commits around 4 hours per day to the team, not including the extra travel and game time, but he still has allot time to his HES major and with his friends.
“It’s just like a job, during the season you have to be really efficient and organized, trying to balance it with everything else,” says Aaron. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”