Maryville University announced that Preston Ingram has been named head coach of the Saints men’s basketball program. He comes to Maryville after spending the last five years as head coach at Missouri Baptist University.
“I am thrilled to welcome coach Preston Ingram as head coach of our men’s basketball team,” incoming Director of Athletics Brittany Fennell said. “His vision to champion a holistic approach to support our student-athletes will enhance our program.”
Ingram posted a record of 94-52, including a 21-10 record this past season, at MBU. He guided the Spartans to the 2022 American Midwest Conference championship, their first since 2005, and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament. The Spartans finished that season with a 26-6 record, 15-1 in the AMC, and Ingram was voted the AMC Coach of the Year following that campaign. He has guided MBU to a 47-13 league record in the AMC the last four years, as well as back-to-back AMC regular season titles. Ingram coached John Yaeger to NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors in 2021-22 as well as CSC (CoSIDA) First-Team Academic All-American honors. Ingram also guided the 2023 AMC Player of the Year in Brendon Hardy as he earned first-team All-AMC and was an All-American Hero. At MBU, Ingram had 21 All-AMC players, five All-Defensive selections and one league Freshman of the Year. He coached seven Academic All-Conference in 2023-24.
Ingram’s 16-year collegiate coaching career has included successful stints as an assistant at Pittsburg State and Angelo State as well as at Evangel and Avila. In addition to his experience at the college level, Ingram has a proven track record as head coach of elite prep and AAU basketball programs.
A native of Springfield, Mo., Ingram began his college coaching career at his alma mater, Evangel. Ingram had the opportunity to learn and coach alongside NAIA Hall of Famer Steve Jenkins, who ranks fourth all-time in wins among active NAIA coaches. In six years as an assistant, Ingram helped lead the Crusaders to five consecutive 20-win seasons and four NAIA National Tournament appearances – three at the NAIA DII level and one in Evangel’s first season at the NAIA DI level.
Ingram became an assistant coach at Avila University for three seasons. While there, Ingram recruited and coached Avila’s first and only NAIA All-American, Sedrick Johnson, and also helped the Eagles to their best record in 10 years.
During his time in Springfield and Kansas City, Ingram also built up his AAU coaching resume. In 1999, Ingram started coaching for the Springfield Rockets, a successful AAU program founded by mentor and Avila head coach at the time, Rodney Perry. Starting in 2007, Ingram began a six-year stint working for MOKAN Elite, one of the nation’s top AAU programs in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). He coached and worked closely with eventual NBA players such as Willie Cauley-Stein, Anthony Tolliver, Semi Ojeleye and Willie Reed. Between the Springfield Rockets and MOKAN Elite, Ingram helped more than 55 players earn college basketball scholarships.
In 2013, Ingram served as an assistant coach at Pittsburg State and was promoted to the top assistant role on coach Kevin Muff’s staff for the 2016-17 season. Competing in one of the toughest D2 basketball conferences, Ingram helped the Gorillas grab their first-ever MIAA conference tournament championship in 2015. While overseeing the team’s defense, PSU held teams to 65.1 points per game. During his tenure in Pittsburg, Kan., Ingram recruited and coached multiple all-conference award winners, along with four Provost’s Award Winners for academic excellence.
Prior to his most recent stops at world-renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and Combine Academy in North Carolina, Ingram coached one season at Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas. At ASU, Ingram was tasked with guard development, scouting, defense, the strength and conditioning program. He was also key in helping sign Division I transfer Joshua Boutte and one of the top JUCO players in Davion Cole Johnson.
Through the years, Ingram has helped organize numerous individual and team camps, AAU basketball camps, Nike Pre-Draft Camp and Nike Elite 100 Camps. He was also heavily involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as a motivational speaker and mentor for at-risk kids through a program called UpRising.
As a player at Evangel, Ingram was a student-athlete on the historic 2001-02 NAIA Division II National Championship basketball team. That particular Evangel squad posted a 35-1 record while maintaining the No. 1 ranking in the polls the entire season. As a senior, he was a team captain and selected as the Crusaders’ Defensive Player of the Year in 2003-04.
Ingram graduated from Evangel in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Management. He later obtained a Master of Science in Human, Health, Performance and Recreation from Pittsburg State in 2016. Ingram and his wife, Shanna, have two children: Mya and Sebastian.
