SEC leader for Singleton

Chris Singleton saw his season end much earlier than he anticipated at Cherokee High School. So with his off time, the 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward from Canton, Ga., has been a special guest on three high-major campuses.

Singleton made consecutive trips to Indiana, Georgia Tech and Tennessee in the last two weeks. He spoke highly of all three. Indiana was his most recent stop.

"It was a nice campus and you could tell that the fans really appreciated the seniors there," Singleton, who visited on IU's Senior Night, said. "I got to meet a lot of important people there, like the president of the school.

"I've been there before but this was the first time that I've looked at the campus and it seemed like a great place for basketball."

The Hoosiers are a relatively new name Singleton's heated recruitment. He said he has made a quick connection with assistant coach Jeff Meyer and head coach Kelvin Sampson.

"They've really picked it up," Singleton said. "It got heavier as the season went along."

Tennessee has been a fixture in the race for the No. 41 ranked player in the country for some time now. He returned to Knoxville to see the Vols dismantle Florida. Tennessee has put in the work to climb to the top of Singleton's list.

"At this point, they are number one," Singleton said of the Vols. "I like the people and the campus and it seemed like everywhere that I went, people knew my name and knew who I was. There have a family environment. All of their players are really cool guys and I like what coach (Steve) Forbes and coach (Bruce) Pearl have told me about the place."

Georgia Tech remains hot in the race as well, he said. He was on hand for the Jackets' tournament saving win over North Carolina.

"That was a great game," Singleton said. "At first, I thought North Carolina was going to run away with it but Georgia Tech hit a spark and never looked back. They are playing well right now.

"They said they expect Thaddeus Young to leave after this year or next and there is a spot for me to come in and fill a role right away at the three spot."

Singleton said South Carolina, one of the first high-majors to recruit him, is still "third behind Tennessee and Georgia Tech," while Clemson and Cincinnati are also in the picture. Singleton said he isn't in a rush to make a decision and keeping an open mind going into the spring AAU season.

"Everyone just has to keep working me," Singleton said. "I'm still wide open and not dropping anybody off."

Expect all of his suitors to keep close watch this spring on the AAU circuit with the Atlanta Celtics, where he'll team with Howard Thompkins, Derrick Favors, Noel Johnson and a host of others.

"To tell you the truth, I think we can win every tournament we play in. We have enough talent," Singleton said of his Celtics squad. "We just have to work hard and play with the mindset of winning every time we step out on the floor."