Stardom should await Duke's Singler
Posted: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 9:14 PM
Filed Under:
ACC, ACC-Big Ten Challenge
Some things never change.
Duke continues to rule the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, turning in an impressive 76-60 road win at No. 9 Purdue.
The Devils are now 10-0 in the event, and will likely help the ACC win the event once again. UNC and Wake Forest are pretty much locks to win on Wednesday, which leaves Maryland, Florida State and Georgia Tech to win one game between them. Like I said, some things never change.
What should change, however, is Kyle Singler’s star status. He was an impressive freshman last season, but through eight games this year, he’s making a case to be an All-American.
Lynn Hey/AP |
Kyle Singler
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The 6-8 forward is averaging 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds an outing, with an impressive 1.185 PPWS. (Singler doesn’t make 3s at a high percentage, which drags down his PPWS a bit.) Nice stats, to be sure.
But let’s go old media and throw out a little praise FireJoeMorgan (RIP) would likely tear apart.
Singler’s a pleasure to watch play. Simple as that. He’s a smooth, selfless player who attacks the boards and blends into Duke’s offense with ease. As a freshman, he sometimes took a backseat to his teammates, but he’s a more complete, more confident player this season. Part of that comes with maturity, and part of it comes with Duke’s need to fill DaMarcus Nelson’s leadership role.
"I'm just myself," Singler told the News & Observer. "The main thing the guys are seeing now, last year I was a freshman. I deferred to other guys. This year, I know I have to be myself. I tell our freshmen, as soon as you learn that, you'll start playing better."
It’s showing. He was confident down the stretch in a nerve-testing Nov. 16 win against Rhode Island, earning praise from Coach K as a guy who “willed us to win.” Less than a week later, Singler helped Duke claim the 2K Sports Classic title and took MVP honors after a 71-56 win against Michigan (who he’ll see again on Saturday.)
As the Devils (8-0) continue to win, expect more and more attention to be heaped upon Singler. He’s their best all-around player and, along with swingman Gerald Henderson, the Devils’ best pro prospect, which means plenty of NBA talk will surround him later this season.
And he’ll be worth the hype.
