Two Iowa State Assistants Helping Acclimate Tre Singleton

Tre Singleton shared that two Iowa State Cyclones assistants are helping him the most.

Dec 16, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Valparaiso Beacons guard Justus McNair (1) defends Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has some massive roles that need to be filled with so many key rotation players not returning to the team.

Three starters, Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson, aren’t returning. Nor is Nate Heise, who was considered the team’s sixth starter whenever the need arose. That is a lot of production that will need to be replaced.

One of the players who will be tasked with helping soak up minutes in the frontcourt is Tre Singleton. A four-star, top 100-ranked player in the Class of 2025, he spent his freshman year with the Northwestern Wildcats before entering the transfer portal.

He was one of five players to commit to the Cyclones in the portal and has been working hard to acclimate himself to the new program. Helping with that process have been two assistant coaches, Erik Crawford and Nate Schmidt.

Tre Singleont getting help from assistant coaches

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) grabs a rebound against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“There’s a lot of good people on this staff,” Singleton said, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required). “Coach (Erik) Crawford and Coach (Nate) Schmidt do a great job communicating with me and trying to figure out the right places to get me the ball where I can be the most effective. That’s not only scoring the ball, but getting my teammates involved, too. I think just talking to those guys and figuring those spots out.”

Viewed as Jefferson’s replacement, Singleton has some huge shoes to fill as the likely starting power forward. Part of the reason he was interested in joining Iowa State was seeing how much their star developed in his two years in Ames under head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Jefferson, a fringe NBA draft prospect entering the 2025-26 season, produced at an incredibly high level, turning himself into a bona fide NBA prospect. He was selected No. 28 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, living out his dream to hear his name called.

Singleton has similar aspirations and is hoping that he can develop similarly. That is a lofty goal to have, but Crawford and Schmidt are doing what they can to help him achieve that. Similar to Jefferson, Singleton can do damage despite not having prototypical high-major athleticism and quickness.

He makes up for that with his remarkable strength and balance, able to play through contact with excellent footwork. That also helps him on the defensive end, where he isn’t a prototypical rim protector but can thrive as a versatile team defender.

What will determine just how high he can take his offensive ceiling is his jump shot, which he is working on a lot this offseason as well.

The similarities in his game to Jefferson’s are eerie, as he has the tools to fill his role on the court on both ends.