Stefanie Ingram describes herself as "a bit eclectic." That's as good of a defination as any for the senior guard on the South Florida women's basketball team.
Not only is she a sensational player, she plays four musical instruments and -- get ready for it -- is about to earn her pilot's license.
"I've always been fascinated by flying," she said Monday at The American Conference basketball tipoff event in downtown Tampa.
She has been taking lessons and has just a few more things to finish before she'll take that first step toward a future ambition.
"The first time I was at the controls was really scary, but at the same time it was a lot of fun. There's so much to remember, but I love it. When I'm done with basketball, I want to make flying a career," she said. "Hello Delta Air Lines!"
"Oh, my gosh, it's hilarious," teammate Hannah Kohn said. "She she's always coming in from an early morning, having to get hours in flying or doing an exam. So it's a lot for her. But she's she's one of the ones who can handle it and do both."
First things first, though. There is a season about to begin and the Bulls have -- dare we say it -- sky-high hopes. Ingram will be an integral piece of what head coach Kristy Curry believes can be a special team.
"She is a phenomenal leader. The way she goes about her business is like a pro is outstanding. And she really understands the game and learns from all her experiences," Curry said.
"I just want to do everything I can to help her have the best final college season. She's really done a great job of embracing us and our system and style of play and doing a really good job of leading eight new faces. I'm just so proud of her leadership. I think she's got a chance to play basketball for a long time."
That, of course, would be in the WNBA, and Ingram left no doubt that is her aim. Curry called her "the fastest guard I've ever coached" but she's also under control.
She's got long-range shooting ability, and she doesn't mind the tough moment. For instance, last year she dropped 27 points on Duke as the Bulls knocked off the ranked Blue Devils.
Ingram was selected by league coaches as a preseason first-team All Conference after being a third-team selection after last season. As a team, the Bulls were picked third behind Rice and UTSA.
That's good, but the Bulls want more.
"We've got a couple of injuries, but we've got ten healthy and I love the way they're trying to come together. We're spending a lot of time on installing the system and style of play, and everybody's adapting and working really hard," Curry said.
"They've been a joy. Just a true joy. You know, we had four returnees and eight that we signed in the portal, so it's been a lot of fun to work on the chemistry and togetherness and spend a lot of time together.
"We've got some shooters, and I like our inside game as well, which opens things up on the outside. We're trying to find a happy balance and do everything that we can to take some pressure off Steph. Obviously she's an impact perimeter, and we've got to surround her with folks that can score to make her job even easier."
This article was originally published on www.greengoldandbold.com as USF senior Stefanie Ingram is ready for takeoff on a special final basketball season .
