Tre Singleton’s commitment marks a new era for Northwestern basketball

In this piece, we take a look at the four-star’s game and what he means to the program.

While I was sitting in class on Wednesday morning, my phone suddenly buzzed with a one-word text. When I saw what it said, my jaw dropped.

“SINGLETON”.

Still unwilling to believe the truth, I quickly opened the app formerly known as Twitter to check and make sure. And there it was, the first tweet on my page:

I had been keeping an eye on the Singleton situation for a few months now, but I was fairly pessimistic on Northwestern’s chances of landing him. But Chris Collins proved me wrong and in doing so, created another clear turning point in the trajectory of a program that has been on a major upswing in the past two years.

How we got here

In June, Tre Singleton was ranked 144th in the nation without a single Power 5 offer. Northwestern became the first power conference program to offer Singleton but were followed by an onslaught of big brands including Louisville, Virginia and, notably, Purdue. The Indiana native was one of the biggest risers of the summer circuit, climbing all the way to the No. 84 rank in the nation at the time of his commitment.

The 6-foot-8 power forward becomes Collins’ highest-ranked recruit ever and the first time in program history the Wildcats have landed a top-100 player. The coaching staff was persistent, setting up the first official visit on Singleton’s docket and never letting go after that.

What this means for the program

It’s hard to overstate how much this commitment means to the program. Let’s look at the broader context of Singleton’s decision first. He’s not the Boozer twins, ranked at No. 2 and 21 on the 24/7 Sports top-100, who committed to Duke on Friday. He’s not even the highest-rated Big Ten commit of the week. (That honor belongs to No. 52 Jordan Scott, who landed at Michigan State on Thursday.) But Singleton’s signing will be one of the most program defining commitments of the entire 2025 cycle.

Before 2017, Northwestern was one of just five teams to be eligible for every NCAA Tournament since its inception and never qualify. With that first bid (and win) came legitimacy. The ‘Cats were on the map at long last. But true legitimacy had to wait until the last two seasons, when Chris Collins and Boo Buie rode rugged defenses and clutch offenses to back-to-back tournament appearances and two Round of 64 wins.

There have been many, many articles written about Buie’s legacy and the impact of his tenure in Evanston. Most Northwestern fans would agree that Boo is the most important hooper to ever wear the purple and white. Singleton’s decision to join the Wildcats rather than some of the notable programs and big time head coaches recruiting him exemplifies the change that Agent Zero brought about. It’s a testament to both the rising stock of NU and the quality of Chris Collins as a coach that Northwestern currently has the eighth — EIGHTH — ranked recruiting class according to 24/7 Sports with three recruits currently committed. Imagine hearing that just three years ago. The program’s newfound heights have been extensively discussed in the wake of two consecutive tournament appearances for the first time ever. But a new peak was reached on Wednesday, and it’s likely just the harbinger of more to come.

Singleton, the player

Enough about Tre Singleton, the symbol. It’s time to look at Tre Singleton, the basketball player.

Singleton is a 6-foot-8 power forward with the versatility of a true wing. He is aggressive as a driver and while he doesn’t showcase a ton of craftiness in getting to the cup, his powerful finishing and relentless energy make him effective. His handle will be iffy at times, but Singleton has shown the ability to push the ball in transition to create buckets for himself. In the half court, he is not going to dink and dunk his way to the rim, but the Class of ‘25 commit has shown himself fully capable of a powerful drive to the hole. His go-to move is a spin over the left shoulder, which he goes to consistently out of both the post up and the drive.

The Indiana native has a jump shot that is most effective in the spot-up but can be utilized off the dribble. His base is a little wider than normal and the release is just a hair robotic, but the process is very repeatable and Singleton has shown consistently at hitting from all over the floor, even in contested situations and on quick releases.

Singleton is not the most explosive of forwards, but what he lacks in jumping ability he makes up with in finesse and body control. His ability to contort for a finish in traffic or to grab a rebound will translate nicely when getting buckets against tall Big Ten front courts.

On the defensive end, quick feet and hands will be Singleton’s calling card. He doesn’t jump out of the gym to block shots and he won’t be a Brooks Barnhizer level of active off the ball, but Chris Collins would never dream of bringing in a guy who can’t defend and Singleton will be a versatile defender who will hold his own against anyone at the two through the five.

Overall, Singleton profiles as a jack-of-all trades forward who will lead the team in scoring one night and play flawless defense while collecting 11 rebounds the next. Offensively, his ability to score both back-to-the-basket, spotting up on the wing and creating on the drive give him the upside of Brooks Barnhizer, albeit with a long way to go with his ball-handling and post moves. Defensively, his impact could look something like Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, with switchability through most of an opposition’s lineup, despite being a little small at center and a tad overmatched against a quick guard. He might lack the ability to create highlight reel defensive plays, but his talent and work ethic will fit right into Collins and assistant coach Chris Lowery’s system.