Singler was joined by Coach Mike Krzyzewski at a news conference Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium after his decision to stay in school was announced late Monday night. He cited numerous reasons for remaining at Duke, among them were his love for playing with the Blue Devils, his desire to improve as a player and to enjoy the trappings of his senior season.
"I couldn’t go wrong with either decision," Singler said. "Because of that, the pressure was lighter. Making my decision to come back to school was pretty easy."
Krzyzewski agreed that there was no wrong answer, stressing that Singler’s decision to remain at Duke should be viewed as a continuation of a great career rather than merely coming back.
"We’re pleased that he’ll be playing next year for Duke University," Krzyzewski said. "I don’t like the [phrase] ‘coming back’ because it’s like he left. He’s never left. He’s just decided to continue.
"It’s not about returning. It’s continuing, which I think is a great statement. I’m proud of him, but I’d be proud of him whichever way he wanted to go."
Singler said he approached the decision without predetermining his desires and looking for reasons to change his mind.
"I left it kind of open," Singler said. "I wanted to get information from Coach [Krzyzewski] and my parents about both decisions."
Singler said he finally made up is mind to remain at Duke over the weekend. He said neither his potential draft positioning nor the possibility of an NBA lockout after the 2010-11 season played a role in decision.
"I didn’t want to base my decision just off that," Singler said. "I wanted to base my decision on whether I liked being in school, if I liked college and playing at Duke. And I answered those questions and I enjoy it."
Krzyzewski agreed.
"No one can say for sure whether there will be [a lockout] or not." Krzyzewski said. "A lot of things occur this time of year which causes people to make decisions based on fear, whether it be in recruiting or in these situations. The NBA can’t afford to have a lockout. They can’t afford not to play."
Krzyzewski, who is in contact with various NBA teams because of his position with USA Basketball, said it was evident from those conversations that Singler likely was going to be a mid to late first-round pick.
"He’s an amazing guy to coach," Krzyzewski said. "I’m not a proponent of testing the waters. If you make the decision to go, then you should go. It’s a lot like recruiting. You gather information and you try to help all parties involved understand it and make sure it is as correct as you can.
"We were fine with whatever Kyle wants to do. That was from the get-go. I think we had really good information. If he did go, I think he would be successful. But it is a matter of how you want to go. I’m happy because he’s happy. In Kyle’s case, when he decided to come to Duke, he told me it was his dream to come to Duke. I’m not sure he’s postponing a dream, I think he’s fulfilling one dream before he gets into another one."
Singler said the area he wants to improve during the next year is his leadership.
"Being a senior and coming with back with Nolan [Smith] and some other guys, my leadership will grow and get better," Singler said. "That will definitely help me later."
Singler’s return to the Duke lineup should make the Blue Devils formidable again as they try to repeat as NCAA champions.
Singler (6-8, 230) will be used in numerous positions because of his versatility, according to Krzyzewski. He played on the perimeter a lot this past season and should see a majority of this time there again.
But Krzyzewski didn’t rule out seeing Singler inside, as well.
Singler, who was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four, scored 19 points as Duke beat Butler 61-59 to win its fourth national championship. He was a first-team All-ACC selection and averaged 17.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a junior. He has scored 1,767 points, which ranks No. 3 among juniors in Duke history.
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