by Jake Espinoza. Photography by Andrew Roles
“You learn as you go, that’s how you grow” – Kenny Chesney
Country music and basketball are generally not liked by the same person, but the two go together like green and yellow at a Duck game for EJ Singler.
As a high school student at South Medford he listened to a lot of Biggie and Tupac. Getting older has a weird way of forcing us to be honest with ourselves.
“Last summer, I went to a Kenny Chesney concert. It was unbelievable,” he said.
After starting last season with a Kenny Chesneyesque buzz cut, Singler now rocks a mop top similar to his brother Kyle (who was drafted by the Detroit Pistons this summer after graduating from Duke).
“Sometimes l get dressed up and put a cowboy hat on,” Singler said. “There are a few other guys on the team that listen to country music too.”
Outside the court, you’ll be more likely to find him at a local restaurant or movie theater than at a campus side bar like Taylor’s or Rennie’s.
We met outside Matt Knight Arena a couple hours prior to his practice and the Duck’s Matt Knight Madness event last Friday. He may have been dressed for practice, but I got the feeling that the basketball shorts and t-shirt combination plays a fairly large part in his wardrobe.
EJ Singler is a friendly, focused individual who gives more attention to self-improvement and preparation than trying to impress people and living up to the image of a Pac 12 college athlete.
As a sophomore in high school, Singler started on a state championship South Medford High School team (with his big bro Kyle). He was named as the Oregon State Player of the year as a senior in 2009.
Even with these accomplishments under his belt, he said he selected to play at the University of Oregon because they were the only Pac 10 School that recruited him.
Luckily humility and work ethic often come as a pair. After playing through his high school career without shooting a three, he led Oregon in three-point field goal percentage last year (.399, 55-of-138).
He’s unlikely be the best athlete on the court, but his focus, attention to detail, and understanding of the game have allowed his continued success.
As a freshman at U of O, he was the team’s third leading rebounder and started 22 games. Singler was the only player to start every game for the Ducks last year. Being 6’6” and a post in the Pac 10 is no easy task, but he finished his sophomore season as the Duck’s second highest scorer at 11.4 ppg and second leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg.
For those of you who haven’t had the chance to make it to the Matt Knight Arena yet, it holds 12,541 seats and a 32-by-36-foot scoreboard which is the largest in college sports. It is impressive to say the least. The arena was originally planned to be ready for their 2010-2011 home opener, but the debut ended up being postponed and rescheduled for their game against USC last January—a game they won.
The arena and new Jaqua Academic Center were huge in recruiting key additions to the team this offseason.
“If you are going to come to a place like this and not get better, that is your own fault,” said Director of Operations, Josh Jamieson.
The additional height the Duck’s acquired this summer has Singler expecting to move to the wing this season. His role on this year’s team will be as a leader, and also as someone with the ability to create for himself and his teammates from the perimeter.
Key additions to the Ducks team this year include JC transfer Carlos Emory, and a 6’5” freshman wing from Oakland named Jabari Brown. ESPN rated Brown as the second best player in the state of California, and the seventh best shooting guard in the nation.
With Derrick Williams leaving Arizona early for the NBA last summer, the Pac 12 is without a clear leader heading into the season. The Ducks finished last season 7-11 in the Pac 10, and have an opportunity to surprise a lot of people with their young talent.
“For me, (the goal) is winning a Pac 12 Championship. I think this year we have a chance but it’s going to be tough.” Singler continued, “Last year I played the four all year, and sometimes even the five… This year’s going to be different because we have so many talented people. It’s going to come down to people knowing their role.”
Another goal Singler has set is playing professionally after his senior season.
“I’d like to play in the NBA of course, but playing overseas somewhere would be great as well.”
Winning the Pac 12 Championship would guarantee the Ducks a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and there is no better source of exposure for college basketball players looking to play professionally.