In front of nearly 2,000 curious spectators, Kyle Singler showed Rogue Valley basketball fans last Friday just how far he's taken his game since we last saw him go head-to-head against Lake Oswego's Kevin Love in the Class 4A state championship game last March.
Singler was good enough then to be an elite Division I recruit, with the likes of Duke, UCLA, Arizona, Kansas and Washington in hot pursuit of his hoop services.
After watching him dominate another D1 recruit — Canby's Clint Chapman — in a 78-56 Panthers victory, it's evident that the 6-foot-9, 215-pound Singler is nearly twice the player he was nine months ago.
He's bigger, stronger and faster.
His outside jumper is more accurate.
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Just as importantly, Singler, who scored 32 points against Canby and is averaging 31.7 through three games, has ratcheted up his intensity level to unprecedented heights. You could see it in his eyes and demeanor before Friday's game as he went to each of his teammates and demanded they climb on the intensity train with him. You could see it even more once the ball was tipped off.
Chapman, a 6-10 center who is headed to the University of Texas, barely touched the ball the entire first quarter as South Medford roared to a 38-13 lead. Singler, who signed with Duke last month, wouldn't allow it. He played in front of Chapman, stealing and batting away attempted lob passes and then sprinting to the other end for layups and jumpers.
I ran into several knowledgeable basketball folks over the weekend, including Tim Hennessey, a former Oregon State player and coach who was in Medford to watch his son play in an AAU tournament. None had ever seen a high school team score 38 points in a quarter. Or watched a player so thoroughly dominate play at both ends.
"When you get to be a senior, you realize your days are numbered as a high school athlete," says Singler, who will return to the court tonight when South Medford opens Southwest Conference play against Roseburg in the Panther gym. "I came into this season motivated to be a lot better player."
The refinement started early last summer, when Singler began coming to the South Medford gym with Panthers assistant coach Josh Jamieson nearly every day for 90-minute workouts. In the dog days of August, when temperatures were soaring into triple digits, they would meet in the evening, sometimes as late as midnight.
Singler would work on his ballhandling for nearly 30 minutes and then shoot for nearly an hour, cranking up hundreds of shots.
"It became a habit, a part of my routine," says Singler, who skipped his senior season in football to concentrate on his speciality. "No matter how good you are, you can always get better, always improve some part of your game.
"I just decided I wanted to become as good as I possibly could. I didn't want to walk out of here with any regrets."
Singler also enhanced his skills while playing in national summer tournaments for the Portland Legends AAU team. Unlike the previous summer, when Love was the team's centerpiece, Singler became the focal point and team leader.
"The team didn't win as much, but for me personally, it was a great experience," says Singler. "I was called on to be the leader, the go-to guy and also to bring the ball up the court quite a bit."
The fiery way in which Singler played Friday reminded me of his father, Ed, who played with the same kind of desire while starring for Medford High in the late 1970s. But Ed, who went on to play football at Oregon State, was eight inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter.
"If you're a Duke fan, you've got to be awfully happy right now," said Hennessey. "That kid is something special."
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A LOT OF PEOPLE who watched Friday's game likely weren't impressed with Chapman, who grew up in Medford before leaving for Canby as a sophomore. He scored only six points before being whistled for his fourth foul in the third quarter and never returned.
But Chapman showcased some good post moves the few times he was able to get his hands on the ball and showed a soft shooting touch. Texas is banking on his potential more than anything. And as coaches often say, you can't coach 6-10.
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NORTH MEDFORD has a brand new weight room, courtesy of a huge contribution from local lottery winners Steve and Carolyn West.
The weight room has all new equipment — dumbbells, weight bars, racks, platforms, multistation machines and flooring, says North Medford athletic director Tim Sam.
"This was a very generous donation for something that was in very poor shape," says Sam.
The Wests also donated money for the school to purchase a new scorer's table and new chairs for the Black Tornado basketball and wrestling teams, as well as provide scholarships to athletes who can't afford the pay-to-play fees, Sam says.
The Wests, along with Carolyn's parents, Bob and Francis Chaney, hit a powerball jackpot worth $340 million — $110 million after taxes — at a Jacksonville grocery store in October of 2005.
Reach sports writer Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail dhunt@mailtribune.com
