Singler liking five

Not often do you find an AAU team with two top five players. Last year the Atlanta Celtics had the combination of Dwight Howard and Josh Smith, who are now both starting in the NBA. This summer the Portland Elite Legends will have the No. 3 ranked player in the class of 2007 Kevin Love and the No. 4 ranked player in the class of 2007 Kyle Singler playing side by side. Singler, a 6-foot-8, 199-pound small forward from South Medford (Ore.) High School as an impressive top five school list.

"My favorite schools are Oregon, Kansas, Duke, Arizona and North Carolina," said Singler. "Oregon and Kansas have both been out to watch me play this year.

"The main thing I want is to play for a good basketball program with good coaches."

After missing the first eight games of the season with a thumb injury suffered on the football field, Singler is now averaging 22 points and 7 rebounds per game for his 17-4 team.

His AAU coach Troy Berry has a glowing assessment of Singler's game which matches well with Rivals.com's evaluation of Singler.

"Kyle really understands the game," said Berry. "Although he is thin, he already has a strong athletic body and shoots the ball well. He can grab a rebound and bring it up the court. He sees the floor well and can dish or finish. He is going to be a big time small forward."

Singler's ability to proficiently play 94-feet of basketball makes him such an attractive prospect. He can hound the ball at the top of the press and then block shots and rebound on the other end. Offensively, he can lead the break or fill the lanes, he can shoot the three or attack the basket and he can score around the basket by either posting or getting put back buckets. He has a great motor that allows him to sustain a high level of effort for long stretches.

Despite all his impressive skills, Singler is still pushing himself to improve.

"I want to continue to work on my quickness and get stronger," he said. "I also need to work on my ball handling and outside shot."