Story by
Columbus Academy's Jason Singleton commits to Harvard over Ohio State, Nebraska
- Story by
- Columbus Academy's Jason Singleton commits to Harvard over Ohio State, Nebraska
With 14 Division I offers, including one from Ohio State, Columbus Academy senior Jason Singleton had a tough decision to make in regard to his basketball future.
He gave strong consideration to the Buckeyes, his father's former team, and Nebraska before deciding to commit to Harvard. Singleton informed Harvard of his decision Aug. 30 and announced his commitment on social media Sept. 7.
Advertisement
Related Jason Singleton: Singletons' bond part of Columbus Academy boys basketball's OHSAA state tournament run
"There's Ohio State here, which is close," Singleton said. "It's a team I grew up watching. Nebraska did a great job recruiting me. (Nebraska assistant) coach (Ernie) Zeigler was the first coach who started believing in me and saw my potential. Ohio State and Nebraska being there, that made it pretty hard, but I knew Harvard was the place."
Columbus Academy's Jason Singleton announced his commitment to Harvard on Sept. 7.
Singleton's father, Jason Sr., was a four-year player at Ohio State and captain of the Buckeyes' 1999 Final Four team. He has been the athletic director at Academy since July 2019 .
Advertisement
"I definitely thought about (following in my father's footsteps at Ohio State)," Singleton said. "It had me thinking a little bit. I still like Ohio State a lot. I'll still be watching their games."
Jason Sr. supports his son wanting to carve his own path.
"Being in Columbus and dad playing for Ohio State, there's definitely a lot of pressure," Jason Sr. said. "Ohio State was the perfect fit for me and is what I needed, but Jason is a different person. We're a lot different, and he found the best fit for him."
Columbus Academy's Jason Singleton drives on Cleveland Heights Lutheran East during the Division V state championship game last season.
A 6-foot-4 guard, Singleton averaged 13.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 steals last season, leading Academy to the Division V state final . The Vikings (28-1) lost 53-49 to Cleveland Heights Lutheran East.
Advertisement
Singleton was Central Buckeye League Player of the Year, first-team all-district and third-team all-state.
"I definitely wanted to get this (commitment) done before we started doing anything with basketball, so I could focus on the season and focus on the team and getting back to that point from last year," he said.
Academy coach Jeff Warstler was one of the first people Singleton contacted about his commitment.
"We're just so proud of Jason and all that he's been able to accomplish," Warstler said. "There's no better kid, better family. He deserves every bit of this, and if I could play a small part in his journey with all these schools, then I'm humbled to be even a small piece of it."
Advertisement
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Academy's Jason Singleton commits to Harvard men's basketball
