Chris Singleton’s Draft Diary

Follow the FSU big man as he gets ready for the show

After bringing his Florida State Seminoles to the Sweet Sixteen, junior forward Chris Singleton announced that he would enter the 2011 NBA Draft. Singleton led the Seminoles to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, ending a decade absence from the Tourney. Along the way Singleton earned the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award and a reputation as a versatile, lock down defender.

This season, Chris averaged 13.1 points and grabbed 6.8 boards a game. Sidelined in early February with a fractured foot, he returned in time for a post-season push the Seminoles hadn’t seen since Sam Cassell was in maroon and gold.

NBA scouts have taken note. With a 6-9, 225-pound frame, Chris’s defensive intensity and ability to guard the 1, 2, 3 and 4 positions have Mock Drafts projecting him to go anywhere from the 12th to the 25th pick on June 23rd. Chris is going to keep us updated on what he’s doing leading up to that big day in NYC, and here’s Chris with his first update.

As told to Dan Shapiro

What’s up SLAMonline? I’m in Chicago resting up after another day of intense training at ATTACK Athletics, where I’ve been working out this May getting ready for the draft. The decision to go for the NBA was a tough one but once my team was out of the tournament, I weighed the pros and cons and felt that this was my time to declare for the Draft.

Not that I won’t miss my time at FSU. I’m proud of what we did during my three seasons. FSU’s always been a football school but as we started winning games and putting on a show, our fans really got behind us and the basketball program got to shine. My proudest moment at FSU was beating Duke in my last season. We hadn’t been able to beat them my whole career and to take the number one team in the country down, and break their winning streak, was the ultimate achievement.

Unfortunately I injured my foot, which affected the rest of last season. But with my coach’s encouragement and the excitement of the NCAA tourney I was able to help my team get to the Sweet Sixteen. Losing to VCU in a close one was tough, but after that I just went home healed up and got my foot back to 100 percent, where it is now. By early April, I knew that it was time to enter the draft.

So, I’m here in Chicago. Working hard. A lot of people have doubted my offensive game. At FSU, our system didn’t need me to be, or anyone else to be the dominant scorer, so I just played my role and we had success. That’s what I’m willing to do on any team that drafts me.

But now I’m showing teams that I can be the offensive threat if that’s what’s needed from my team. I’ve been drilling my ball handling and shooting. Even in the short time after last season I feel like I’ve improved my game.

This past week I also was able to meet with a lot of NBA teams: Sacramento, Milwaukee, Golden State, Washington, Houston and the Knicks, among others. It’s been a really positive experience meeting with these teams. The interviews are just part of the process of a team seeing if I’ll fit in their system. My main message is that my game is versatile and that I just care about winning and contributing positively to any team that drafts me any way I can.

That’s what I always admired growing up, the players that could do so much for their team. Like Magic and Scottie Pippen, those kinds of guys that had so many skills in different aspects of the game. That’s what I hope to do for my team. Mostly, I just feel lucky to be a part of all this. It’s really me living out my dream.

Thanks for reading my first entry. For now, I’m going to continue my workouts here Chicago. The NBA Playoffs have been crazy so far and I’m definitely watching all these games. I don’t have any teams in the race, its just exciting to watch the best of the NBA play so well.

There’s a bunch of pre-Draft stuff coming up for me in the next few weeks. I’m excited for it all and will check back in with you guys soon.

Follow Chris on Twitter @C_SING31.