Tre Singleton Returning to Northwestern for Exhibition Game

It’s a big week for Iowa State Cyclones forward Tre Singleton. After a long offseason and just one exhibition game, Singleton is already back for his homecoming game with his former team.

Singleton has had a short but great collegiate career so far. He’s played just one season, during which he was part of the Northwestern Wildcats. And while the team’s season didn’t go as planned, he personally played fantastically.

Despite being a true freshman, Singleton not only played in 34 games but also started 31 of them. To say that he integrated quickly with the roster would be an understatement. In his 25 minutes per game, Singleton averaged 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He was one of the team’s best scorers and rebounders, even at his young age.

And Singleton certainly had some standout games. He had a career-high 17 points against both the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Howard Bison. The forward also had 14 against the then No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers, nine against the future national champions Michigan Wolverines, and 15 against the Cleveland State Vikings.

Tre Singleton set to face his old team, the Northwestern Wildcats

But after the season, he saw more value in playing for a top program and transferred to Iowa State.

Singleton starred in his first exhibition game. He had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks in his debut against the Creighton Bluejays, where he looked like one of the best and most season-ready players on the entire roster. His scoring ability was fantastic, and defensively he looked like arguably the team’s best option.

He’s expected to have a big role with this Iowa State team this year. He’s a scorer, a rebounder, a big body, and someone who can guard all five positions well. The Cyclones are in need of someone who can guard the wings and forwards, and therefore his athleticism will go a long way for the team.

Hopefully, the positives that he showed throughout the first exhibition game and the minimal clips that we have seen in practice are enough to translate to big-time basketball every single week.

This weekend’s game against Northwestern has a lot at stake. Most importantly, we should hope he’s still appreciated by the fans, the coaches, and the players who were once on his team.

But at the same time, it’s key for Singleton to showcase his growth over the offseason and prove to everyone why going to Ames was the right decision for the future of his career.