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UNI adds toughness

If a young player needs proof of the importance of a college program's elite camp look no further than Northern Iowa's recruitment of Hopkins forward Marvin Singleton. The no nonsense, hard working Singleton went to Northern Iowa's elite camp in early June and impressed the Panther coaches so much with his play and personality that Marvin received a scholarship offer a day later.
After a month of thinking over his future college plans Marvin called coach Ben Jacobson, Ben Johnson, and the rest of the Northern Iowa staff on the night of July 4th to let them know of his commitment. For UNI it turned out to be more than just a holiday as they picked up their third 2011 class commit as Marvin joins Kansas City point guard Jevon Lyle and Iowa four man Seth Tuttle as future Panthers.
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"I like everything they have to offer and they win which I love to do," said Singleton after making his decision.
Marvin knows a little something about winning. At Hopkins Singleton has been a part of the past two class AAAA state championships and the Royals are a heavy favorite to win a third title in 2010-11. As a sophomore Marvin averaged 8.6 points per game in a supporting role (playing with Ray Cowels, Royce White, Trent Lockett, Mike Broghammer, Marcus Williams, D.J. Peterson, and Joe Coleman) and then 18.4 points per game as the top frontcourt option. In three seasons as a Royal, Marvin has scored 1,050 career points and his team is a combined 88-4.
Northern Iowa went after Marvin because they think he brings a lot to the table. They liked the way Marvin plays in the open floor with an athletic fluidity, they like his defensive ability and court IQ, and they love his work ethic and mental toughness on the floor. Marvin has proven to be a winner at Hopkins and with the Howard Pulley Panthers, and the UNI coaches think Marvin has the intangibles and versatility that will help their program in the future. Singleton was equally impressed with Northern Iowa on his trip to campus for the elite camp.
"Everything was within walking distance and the players and coaches are very straight forward," Marvin stated. "I feel the coaches are very up front about everything. They don't hide anything and they all are a pretty fun crew to be around."
The Panthers have added three commitments for their 2011 class and are still looking to add two more players. They have also offered Estan Tyler of St. Paul Johnson as well as Jake White of Chaska and both players have had the Panther staff following them very closely.
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