AMES - Tre Singleton arrived at Iowa State with a familiar comparison already attached to him, but the Cyclones are making one thing clear: the goal is not to turn him into Joshua Jefferson.
The parallels are easy to spot. Both are 6-foot-8 forwards.
Both bring versatility at both ends. Both fit neatly into T.J.
Otzelberger’s defense-first system. But Otzelberger said after Tuesday’s early morning practice at the Sukup Basketball Complex that Singleton has to stay locked in on his own game.
“J-Jeff’s a really good player, Tre Singleton’s a really good player, they both have a lot of versatility as a bigger forward - all those things are true,” Otzelberger said.
Then he added the part that matters most.
“I think Tre needs to focus on Tre being the best version of Tre he can be,” Otzelberger added.
Singleton, who averaged 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a freshman at Northwestern last season, said he understands why the comparison keeps coming up. Jefferson, after all, carved out a major role for Iowa State before a severe ankle injury ended his season in the first round. The Las Vegas native put up 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in about 31 minutes per game as a senior, while shooting a career-best 34.5 percent from 3-point range.
“Yeah, no, there (are) a lot of similarities in our game,” Singleton said. “I think one thing I can say we both do really well is rebound and pass the ball. So just really trying to do that - grab those rebounds, push the break, get your teammates involved.”
The 3-point line is where Singleton knows he has work to do. He shot just 16.7 percent from deep for the Wildcats last season, and he said that part of his game is a major focus as he settles in with the Cyclones.
“You’ve gotta be able to shoot to play in today’s game,” Singleton said. “Everybody knows that.
If you can’t shoot, it’s gonna be pretty rough. So I’m just really keying on my mechanics and trying to fix some bad habits I built over time.”
Jefferson’s path offers a useful reference point. He averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his sophomore season at Saint Mary’s, a line that lines up closely with Singleton’s lone season at Northwestern. Once Jefferson got to Iowa State, he earned trust quickly as a junior and then took another leap as a senior, which sent him into the early second round of the NBA Draft.
“Joshua certainly had a remarkable couple of years for us,” Otzelberger said.
Singleton appears positioned for a similar rise as his minutes grow and his all-around game becomes more visible in key moments. Still, the message from the coaching staff is not about imitation. It’s about growth, confidence and making the right decisions.
“These guys instill confidence in me every day,” Singleton said. “They tell you how good you are, just keeping you confident in everything you do.
At the end of the day, it just boils down to the work that you do. If you’re putting in the work, you’re gonna be confident in your game.”
Otzelberger said Singleton’s value starts with that unselfish approach and the way he sees the floor.
“He takes a lot of pride in making the right play,” Otzelberger said. “So I think that versatility shows up on both sides and we’re gonna continue to expand his games that it shows up every possession, offensively and defensively.”
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