University of Oregon men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent has announced the signing of E.J. Singler to a national letter of intent.

Singler, a 6-6, 200-pound forward from South Medford High School in Medford, will begin playing for the Ducks in the fall of 2009.

“We’ve watched E.J. for the last three years now, and have really seen him blossom and come into his own as a leader,” Kent said. “He is one of the top players in the state and certainly someone who has the character and background — in terms of coaching — to be an outstanding player at this level.”

Singler, who is a senior at SMHS, averaged 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in his junior campaign. He was a first team all-conference and second team all-state selection a year ago. He led the Panthers to a sixth-place finish at the OSAA Class 6A state tournament, where he earned first team all-tournament recognition.

As a sophomore, Singler was a starter on the 2006-07 South Medford squad which won the OSAA Class 6A state title over Lake Oswego. He came off the bench as a freshman to help lead the Panthers to what would be the first of three consecutive state tournament appearances.

“I wanted to play in the Pac-10 and stay close to home,” Singler said about the decision to choose Oregon. “The guys on the team were all very welcoming, I really connected with them. I just felt comfortable when I came up there on my visit.”

Singler’s father, Ed, played quarterback at Oregon State from 1978-82. His mother, Kris (formerly Brosterhous), played basketball at OSU from 1973-76, while his older brother Kyle is a sophomore forward at Duke.

Volleyball signs three

The No. 8 University of Oregon volleyball team signed three players for the 2009 fall season. They are:

• Katherine Fischer, outside hitter, 5-10, Los Altos, Calif., Intended business major.

• Lauren Gross, rightside hitter, 6-2, Orange, Calif., Intended business major.

• Jocelyn Levig, outside hitter, 6-1, Sumner, Wash., Undeclared major.