Singler to Duke etc

[Russ Smith]

According to folks on Bruin Report Online he just announced for Duke.

No shock.

Also for those who haven't heard, Bill Walker has been cleared for Kansas State 2nd semester this year. He's passed his SAT(or ACT don't know which), has been passed by admission, and cleared the NCAA clearinghouse. Story I read said he'd sign with K State officially first day of early signing period in november and can't start practicing with the team until December when he's enrolled in classes. Projected first game is on or about 12-17. Tom Groeschen confirmed that Walker's "people" have been told repeatedly by the NBA they will NOT allow him in the 2007 draft. The rule is firm he has to be one full year out of HS so he's not draft eligible until 2008.

The other interesting K State stuff, back in August the AD at K State announced they were no longer recruiting guard Tyree Evans from Virginia because he was "not a good fit". The reason was Evans was charged with 2 different counts of statuatory rape while attending a prep school in Massachusetts in 2004 and 2005. Evans sat out all last year dealing with his legal problems. And Evans is now apparently signing with Kansas State after Bob Huggins convinced the AD that Evans will not do at K State what he did in prepschool(presumably they mean statuatory rape not score a ton of points).

You gotta love Bob Huggins, the only college coach who makes me think Tim Floyd might not be such a bad guy.

 

[Absolute Zero]

You are probably right Russ,but it is not official yet here in Medford. There is a news conference scheduled for 3 p.m.

October 27, 2006
Singler's decision set for today

Nation's top small forward rumored to be leaning toward Duke in three-team race

By KRIS HENRY
Mail Tribune
Widely regarded as one of the top boys basketball players in the Class of 2007, South Medford High senior Kyle Singler is expected to end months of speculation by announcing his college of choice at 3 p.m. today.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior forward has been wooed by a who's who of national programs, settling on a list of finalists that includes Duke, Kansas and Arizona.

Today's announcement in the Panthers' gymnasium expects to make one of those head coaches extremely happy.

His decision will be on www.mailtribune.com as soon as it is announced.
"It's a good deal," says South Medford boys basketball coach Dennis Murphy. "It's good for Kyle, and fabulous for whatever program he chooses."

Like most, Murphy says he has no idea which of the three schools will gain Singler's services. The Parade All-American has made official visits to all three, and has come back from each with glowing reviews of the coaches, players and corresponding cities.

Most accounts have Singler leaning toward joining Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils in Durham, N.C., but the unassuming player has not budged from his stance that it could be any of the three. Kansas coach Bill Self and Arizona coach Lute Olson have also made quite an impression, and all three have been regular visitors to Medford.

Last season, Singler averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in leading South Medford to a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state tournament.

It's that versatility that has Singler so coveted on a national scale, along with a winning history. His Panther teams have a combined record of 78-11 with three Southern Oregon Conference titles and three state trophies (fourth, sixth and second, respectively).

"Obviously it's a big day in South Medford basketball," Murphy says of today's announcement.

"We really try to convince our kids that if you work hard and you want to be coached and are willing to be a good teammate, there are great opportunities lying ahead for you and some are greater than others," adds the athletics director. "For Kyle, because how good he is, he's going to get the ultimate dream playing at a premier program."

In only three seasons with the Panthers, Singler is already the school's leading scorer with 1,339 points, surpassing Mike Vanderhoff, who had 1,228 in three seasons as well.

In 81 games at South, Singler is averaging 16.5 points and ranks second in school history in rebounds (629, trailing Ted Stark's 680), is fifth in assists (191) and eighth in steals (115).

 

[Absolute Zero]

The Kyle Singler announcement

You must be registered for see images

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2]

You must be registered for see images

Kyle Singler drives by a Lake Oswego player during the state basketball playoff finals in March. South eventually lost to Lake Oswego, 59-57.
Mail Tribune file photo [/SIZE][/FONT]http://www.mailtribuneforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=499Singler will play for Duke

And the winner is ... Duke. South Medford High basketball standout Kyle Singler made the Devils anything but Blue when he announced minutes ago that he would sign a letter of intent to play for Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski in Durham, N.C.
The versatile 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior forward made a verbal commitment to Duke in the Panthers’ jam-packed gym before family, friends, students, staff and a sizable contingent of media.
Singler can sign with the Blue Devils as early as Nov. 8, the beginning of the fall signing period and two days after South Medford begins practice.
He had narrowed his decision to Duke, Kansas and Arizona. He earlier excluded a couple of other top programs — UCLA and North Carolina — that had been on his short list.
Singler entered the gym to loud applause.
South Medford coach Dennis Murphy served as the master of ceremonies, welcoming everyone and saying, “This will go down as one of the great days” in the 21-year history of the school.
He then introduced Singler, who began by making thank-yous to some of those who had helped him throughout his high school career, primarily his coaches and family. He got particularly emotional when thanking his father, Ed.
“I love him very much,” said a choked-up Kyle Singler.
He then toyed with the audience, asking if there were any questions before he announced his decision.
“Yeah,” someone said, “which school?”
After briefly explaining how difficult the decision was and how much he respected the coaches and the programs at the three schools, he said, “Next fall, I will be at Duke University.”
Applause and hoots and hollers filled the gym.
“Congratulations, buddy,” Murphy told his star player. “Good for you. Good for you.”
Singler is regarded as one of the top players in the Class of 2007. Most accounts had him headed to Duke, but he and his family had been resolute in keeping the decision private.
Last season, Singler averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in leading South Medford to a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state tournament.
His Panther teams have a combined record of 78-11, with three Southern Oregon Conference titles and three state trophies (fourth, sixth and second, respectively).
In only three seasons at South Medford, Singler is already the school’s leading scorer with 1,339 points, surpassing Mike Vanderhoff, who had 1,228 in three seasons as well.
In 81 games at South, Singler is averaging 16.5 points and ranks second in school history in rebounds (629, trailing Ted Stark’s 680), is fifth in assists (191) and eighth in steals (115).
At Duke, Singler will play for the man known as Coach K, who is beginning his 27th year at the school and has been named national coach of the year a dozen times.
He has a 753-250 career record in 31 years of coaching and a 680-191 mark in 26 seasons at in Durham.
Under Krzyzewski, Duke has won three national titles — 1991, 1992 and 2001 — and made it to the NCAA Tournament 22 times, with 10 Final Four appearances.
Last year, Duke was 32-4 and made it to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to LSU.
The Blue Devils have won 11 ACC regular season crowns and 10 ACC Tournament titles.
View Duke athletic department Web site
View Duke Basketball Report
Watch YouTube video of Singler playing