LAWRENCEVILLE — Tariq Ingraham is ancient by today’s college basketball standards. He’s about to begin his third season as a member of the Rider men’s basketball team. Heck, he’s even been on campus for three-and-a-half years after he joined as a transfer from Wake Forest midway through the 2021-22 season. He even laughed when asked if he felt like an old head these days. “Kind of,” he admitted. “I used to have the nerves and stuff going out for the first game,” Ingraham said. “Now that I’ve been here it’s another game and I’m ready to go whenever my name is called.” Expect the 6-foot-9, 255-pound graduate student’s name to be called a lot. If the Broncs’ tight exhibition victory over Division II Holy Family was any indication — Ingraham had 21 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes — he’ll touch the ball more than he ever has in his college career. “Coach wants me to shoot it more, so I got to do what he asks,” Ingraham said. “That’s my only job — to dominate. … I’m the biggest dude on the floor most of the time.” Ingraham’s path to Rider wasn’t straightforward. The son of two former college players at Seton Hall, he was a standout at Bonner & Prendergast in the Philadelphia Catholic League, which earned him a scholarship to Wake Forest. He missed all of the 2019-20 season due to an Achilles injury and then scored 19 points in his college debut the next season, but this was the Covid year and a medical issue ended that season after two games. He appeared in one game the next season for the ACC school before transferring to Rider midseason. A fresh start and clean bill of health closer to home has seen the big man play in 62 games over the last two seasons. He started all 32 contests last year and averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. “We have to have a paint presence,” coach Kevin Baggett said. “We’re going to need to dominate the paint.” Rider’s Tariq Ingraham, right, shoots the ball against Holy Family during an exhibition men’s basketball game at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Ingraham is embracing everything that comes with that He is one of two returning starters alongside T.J. Weeks Jr. and has focused on being a more vocal leader within the team. “It’s something coach has preached to me,” Ingraham said. “We had a meeting and I got to be more vocal. I got to lead, especially the bigs because we got new guys in our program.” Added Baggett: “All of the guys who returned are back with the right mindset in understanding the way that we left off last season is not the way we wanted to do that. We have talent in that locker room. How fast does it come together? How fast do people buy into their roles? That’s always a challenge, getting people to believe and be great in the roles we are trying to give them.” Even though Ingraham didn’t start his career at Rider, he is still an outlier in today’s college basketball landscape. “There’s no watching a kid maybe come through your program for four years from start to finish,” Baggett said. “Watching them come in as an unfinished product to a finished product. Those are rewarding for us as coaches that may no longer exist for the most part.” Ingraham knows he has to be that finished product for Rider to have success. “Dominate, rebound and play defense,” he said. “That’s my only job.” *** Rider begins the season with a west coast trip against No. 22 UCLA on Monday’s opening night and then at San Diego on Wednesday. Those are just two of seven straight road games to begin the season, but they are also opportunities to showcase yourself in some tough environments. “It can get tiring on the road, but you get to play bigger and better teams,” Ingraham said. “I you play them and then come back and play in the MAAC it’s a nice experience, so I’m excited to play those bigger teams.”