As he wraps up the end of his high school basketball career, senior Clyde “CJ” Singleton was recently awarded the Chicago Tribune’s High School “Athlete of the Month” award.

Singleton has been putting in hard-work throughout the season, working alongside his teammates to get him to where he is.

“It was a great honor, and I’m truly humbled to win this award because I’m happy to see my hard work pay off. I wish I could share this accomplishment with my teammates because they helped me get better in practice everyday and helped me become the athlete I am today. This is more of a team win than anything,” Singleton said.

The new varsity boys basketball head coach, Mike Wasielewski, views Singleton as a leader to the team and as incredibly deserving of this award.

“This award is well deserved for CJ. He played an awesome month of basketball in January which shows that his hard work paid off. He’s at his best attacking the basket, and he can get rebounds over most players at the high school level. He has an incredibly high level of character too, and treats his teammates with respect. CJ is a very hard worker and an incredible athlete, so this award goes to a very deserving person,” Wasielewski said.

Singelton is also grateful for Wasielewski’s coaching this past season. 

“I really feel like my new coach has given me an opportunity to do what I do best. He’s helped me as an athlete to become better as a basketball player and as a person, and I’ve always felt like he had my back and supported me throughout this journey,” Singleton said.

Niles West athletic director Kendall Griffin, who has been by Singleton’s side since his freshman year,  sees how he represents the ideal student-athlete expected here. He believes that Singleton truly lives up to and exceeds the school’s standards for student-athletes, making him deserving of this award. 

“What I love about him is that he’s such a quiet kid. He’s all you want in a student-athlete: he’s smart, he does his work, and he’s respectable. Last year, I feel like [former boys basketball coach] Bob Williams didn’t get to see CJ’s full potential. Now this year with Coach Wasielewski, he gave CJ that leadership role. He really had an expanded year compared to last. CJ’s a very ‘I’m gonna do my job’ kind of guy,” Griffin said. 

As Singleton says goodbye to jersey number 23 for good, he knows that the most important part of this journey was the relationships created through the endless support from everyone in the community.

“I would like to thank the West community for voting for me and for supporting me through it all. I’d specifically like to thank my teammates, my coaches, and especially my family,” Singleton said.

Singleton hopes to continue his basketball career at a collegiate level after finishing school at Niles West this year.