“We knew it was a big basketball town but we never really looked into it,” Blankenship said. “As far as all the players who’ve come out of here … I didn’t even realize Kinston was where he was from. But as soon as I figured it out, I said ‘This is awesome.’ I wanted the community to have something to be proud of.” That’s just one reason Blankinship made a painting of Ingram. He said he also did it out of appreciation for Ingram. The piece took him 15 hours or so to make.