Kyle Edward Singler was born May 4, 1988, in Medford, Oregon — a small city in the Rogue Valley, tucked between the Cascades and the Siskiyous, closer to the California border than to Portland. His father, Ed Singler, had played quarterback at Oregon State. His mother, Kris Brosterhous, had played basketball at the same school. Four of his uncles played Division I football, baseball, or basketball. Athletics weren’t optional in the Singler household. They were genetic.
Kyle grew up playing multiple sports — basketball, hockey, whatever was in season. His younger brother E.J. would star at the University of Oregon. The backyard was the first gymnasium, Ed and Kris the first coaches. Medford was not a basketball factory. Kyle Singler would change that.
At South Medford High School, he became the best player in Oregon history. Four-year starter, 110–10 record. Senior year: 29.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals. Sixth-leading scorer in Oregon high school history with 2,207 career points. The defining moment: the 2007 state championship. South Medford faced defending champion Lake Oswego and national standout Kevin Love. The year before, Love had beaten Singler for the title. This time, Singler won 58–54 — the school’s first-ever state championship.
He was ranked #1 small forward and #4 overall in the class of 2007. McDonald’s All-American. Jordan Classic All-Star. Member of the 2006 U18 USA Junior National Team alongside Michael Beasley and Jerryd Bayless. He was one of eight players featured in Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot, a documentary directed by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys about the top high school prospects in America.
He and Kevin Love played on the same Legends AAU team. Rivals and teammates, linked by geography and talent. In October 2006, Singler signed his letter of intent to Duke. Love went to UCLA.
Before leaving for Durham, Kyle created a youth basketball tournament as his senior project, with all proceeds going to Kids Unlimited, a Medford nonprofit serving vulnerable children. The first year: 19 teams, ,000 raised. Nearly two decades later, that tournament — the Southern Oregon Open — is the largest youth basketball event in southern Oregon, generating an estimated million annually in local economic impact. His family continued to run it after he left.