E.J. Singler got a taste of what it’s like to play in a Duck basketball uniform, and those morsels were enough to convince the freshman from South Medford to pass up redshirting as a rookie. Singler decided Tuesday, after conferring with his family — including brother Kyle at Duke — that he couldn’t bear the thought of sitting and watching for a full season.
Duck coach Ernie Kent presented the benefits of sitting out a year and acclimating to college life, but in the end said he’s comfortable with the decision.
The NCAA allows freshmen to play in exhibition games without squandering their redshirt season. In games against Concordia and Lewis and Clark, Singler was a beast on the boards in limited minutes — he led them with eight in only 12 minutes against L & C. He played 23 minutes in the two games and scored a combined eight points and pulled in 15 rebounds.
Oregon opens the season in the BTI Tournament Friday against Winston-Salem State.
For more, here’s a story in the Register-Guard.
