The future for Northwestern has arrived. It was always going to be Tre Singleton.
Maybe it was evident from the start. The freshman forward was the highest modern-ranked recruit in program history at the time of his commitment in October 2024. He led Indiana’s Jeffersonville High School to a 4A State Championship title during his senior year. He was a day-one starter when he joined the Wildcats (10-11, 2-8 Big Ten).
But for much of the season, Singleton has been part of a young supporting cast with fluctuating contributions alongside senior forward Nick Martinelli. The veteran has led his squad all season, posting a Division I-best 24 points per game, but no one has posted consistent secondary production.
Until Thursday night.
During NU’s 94-73 win over Penn State, Singleton tallied 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. He became just the second ’Cat since 2004-05 to post such numbers.
“I was just really happy for Tre,” coach Chris Collins said. “It was just fun to see him play with joy and attack and not play tentative out there.”
Though this was his best game of the year, Singleton has made an impact throughout the season, setting a standard of aggressiveness on both sides of the ball.
In his first regular-season start, he recorded one block, one steal and six rebounds. In his first game against a high-major opponent in DePaul, he scored seven points in the final 10 minutes. In his first Big Ten contest, a road loss against Wisconsin, he led the ’Cats in boards with 10. He had a 17-point, eight-rebound performance in a win over Howard, where he dominated in the paint.
Singleton has now eclipsed double-digits in points in three of the past four games, nearly matching his four 10-plus point performances from his first 17 games. He has also posted at least one steal or block in all but five games this season. If he can continue to string together strong outings during the height of Big Ten play, then NU will have itself a great player to build around.
While he has settled in as a scorer, Singleton is still struggling with a foul problem. Entering play on Saturday, he is tied for sixth in the conference, averaging 2.9 personal fouls per game. He has picked up three or more fouls in 13 games this season. But as he prepares for his 22nd career game, Singleton is still progressing as a player, and fouls are to be expected from an athlete who lives around the rim.
“Tre has had his struggles,” Collins said. “But I’ve continued to encourage him, when he’s open, to shoot the ball with confidence.”
Singleton wasn’t the only young, non-Martinelli contributor to have a career night against Penn State. Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino posted a career-high 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Freshman guard Jake West dished out a career-best 13 assists and added seven points.
While the Nittany Lions (9-12, 0-10 Big Ten) have yet to win a Big Ten game this season and they rank last in the conference in rebounds per game, this game showed a glimpse of what Singleton and NU’s underclassmen could be capable of on a nightly basis.
“We’re 21 games in now, so the whole ‘freshman’ title kind of goes out the window,” Singleton said. “We have a lot of young guys, but we’re getting experience.”
It’s difficult to predict how the ’Cats will perform next year and beyond without the nation’s leading scorer in their corner. But with Singleton and other promising prospects repping purple and white, NU’s future is in good hands.
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