The men's basketball team and staff gathered together with family and fans in the Purcell Pavilion on April 13th.
One of the most popular Notre Dame basketball players in recent memory, Martin Ingelsby begins his 10th season on head coach Mike Brey's coaching staff. A standout point guard for the Irish from 1997-2001, he is in his fourth season as an assistant coach and is regarded as one of the top young assistants in the game today.
Ingelsby, who works primarily with the Irish guards, was promoted to assistant coach following six seasons as the coordinator of basketball operations in July 2009. He has been instrumental in elevating Notre Dame's national recruiting efforts and in mentoring some of the nation's and BIG EAST's top backcourt players.
Two years ago, Ingelsby tutored 2011 BIG EAST Player of the Year and unanimous first-team all-BIG EAST selection, Ben Hansbrough. During Hansbrough's two seasons in an Irish uniform, he scored 1,044 points, grabbed 213 rebounds and dished off 298 assists. Ingelsby also played a major role in the development of Tory Jackson, who played for the Irish from 2006-10. Best known for his tenacity on the basketball court, Jackson played in more games (136) than any other player at Notre Dame. The recipient of the 2010 BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award, Jackson ranks second at Notre Dame in career assists (694) and career steals (211). He is only the second player in school history to score over 1,000 points and dish off more than 600 assists. He is one of only two players in BIG EAST history (the other being Sherman Douglas) to lead the conference in assists in three out of four seasons.
During Ingelsby's nine seasons on the Irish staff, Notre Dame has enjoyed unprecedented success. Since returning to his alma mater in 2003-04, Irish teams have registered a 194-101 (.658) mark and finished with a 94-60 (.610) in BIG EAST play. Over the past six seasons, Notre Dame has accumulated 142 victories, won 70 percent of their overall games, and owns the third-most wins (70) and third-best winning percentage in conference play. Even more impressive is Notre Dame's 100-7 (.935) mark at home - the third best winning percentage of any program nationally since 2006-07.
Irish teams during Ingelsby's coaching tenure at Notre Dame have made five NCAA tournament appearances and registered six 20-win campaigns.
Ingelsby returned to his alma mater after serving as an assistant coach at Wagner College during the 2002-03 campaign. While on the Seahawks' staff, he worked primarily with the guards and was extensively involved in the team's scouting and recruiting efforts. Wagner, which finished with a 21-11 overall record and 14-4 conference mark, had its most successful season in school history in '02-'03, winning both the Northeast Conference regular-season and conference titles. In addition, the Seahawks earned the school's first-ever NCAA tournament berth.
A native of Berwyn, Pa., Ingelsby was Notre Dame's starting point guard for three of his four seasons. As a senior in 2000-01, he averaged 8.2 points and a team-best 6.4 assists as a starter in all 30 games. Ingelsby led the Irish to the BIG EAST West Division title, the school's first-ever conference title. As captain in his senior year, he guided Notre Dame to a 20-10 overall record and an 11-5 league record. In addition, the Irish advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament after earning a berth in the 65-team field for the first time in more than a decade in head coach Mike Brey's first season.
Ingelsby led Notre Dame in assists in three of his four seasons. In addition to his senior campaign, he was the Irish starting point guard as a freshman and sophomore. A 27-game starter during his freshman season (1997-98), he had a team-leading 150 assists and earned a spot on the '98 BIG EAST All-Rookie Team.
A two-time member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team, he was the recipient of the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award in his senior season.
Ingelsby enjoyed a stellar prep career at Archbishop Carroll in Philadelphia where he finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,425 points and led his teams to an 80-12 combined record (.869) during his three years as a varsity member.
Following his senior year in 1997, he won the prestigious Markwood Award, given annually to the top high school player in the Philadelphia area, and was the Gatorade player of the year for Philadelphia while also earning all-Catholic League honors three times. Ingelsby also was named MVP of the South Catholic League as a senior and was a McDonald's All-America honorable mention selection.
Ingelsby hails from a basketball-rich family. His father, Tom, a standout guard at Villanova from 1970-73, was his son's high school coach. The elder Ingelsby was the starting guard alongside Chris Ford on the Villanova team that lost to UCLA in the 1971 NCAA championship game. He also played for the Atlanta Hawks during the 1973-74 season and the Spirits of St. Louis in the ABA in 1974-75. An uncle, Ed Hastings, also played basketball at Villanova, while another uncle, Robert Devine, played basketball at Notre Dame from 1956-58 and served as team captain during his senior year.
The oldest of five children, he graduated from the Mendoza College of Business with a bachelor's degree in marketing in May of 2001.
Ingelsby is married to the former Colleen Fitzgerald, a senior counselor in the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. The couple are the parents of twins, Will and Kate, born in December 2009.
