Kyle Singler Makes It Official

Nearly a day after the news hit the Internet, South Medford (Ore.) star Kyle Singler has made it official: He's a Blue Devil. The 6-foot-10 combo forward joins California's Taylor King and Virginia's Nolan Smith as committed players in the class of 2007.

After being announced by head coach Dennis Murphy, who declared Friday's press conference as "one of the greatest days in school history," Duke bound Kyle Singler ended one of the most highly regarded recruiting processes of the season with a simple sentence:

“Next fall, I will be attending Duke University,” Singler told the media and well wishers packed into the South Medford High School gym. "I felt very comfortable [with Duke], and that was a key for me."

Last season, Singler averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists while leading his school to the class 4-A championship game in Oregon. He followed that performance up with great showings throughout the spring and early summer AAU schedule, cementing himself as one of the top prospects in the country regardless of position.

“Kyle Singler won over the hearts of basketball purists by his no-non-sense approach to the game," said Scout.com's Dave Telep of the Duke bound forward. "He is blessed with great length and skills -- he’s a unique forward. He’s just got a terrific overall floor game, approach and basketball IQ. There aren’t a ton of knocks on his game and that’s really odd for a high school kid."

The overall game will be on display next year in Durham for head coach Mike Krzyzewski, whom Singler has expressed much admiration for throughout this process. It's a match that Telep believes will produce yet another successful career under Coach K's watch - but that would have been the case had he picked either Kansas or Arizona.

"With any big wing player, you can always increase your effectiveness behind the 3-point line. Make no mistake though, this guy is a player. He’s a winner, a big wing and a guy who is going to make a nice living playing this game. One of the hooks is that when you combine his overall basketball ability with his high character it made for a combination that every coach in America would have loved to have. Each year there are but a few guys who truly can play for anyone and he’s one of those kids."

"One of the real intangibles to his game was his poise," continued Telep. "He's never rattled, startled and always in control, Singler simply makes the game appear easier than it is. Few can do that at his age."

Singler's commitment pushes the Blue Devils' total to three. Duke continues to recruit five star West Virginia power forward Patrick Patterson.