Record-breaking season for Singer helps drive RedHawk offense
Sophomore point guard sets new mark for assists in Miami’s journey to NCAA Tournament
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Published
Tamar Singer, center, is in the midst of a record-breaking season as the point guard for the Miami University women's basketball team. Singer set a new single-season mark for assists with 240 heading into the RedHawks' NCAA Tournament contest at West Virginia.
Record-breaking season for Singer helps drive RedHawk offense
Sophomore point guard sets new mark for assists in Miami’s journey to NCAA Tournament
•
Published
When asked why she chose Miami University, Tamar Singer has a quick and simple answer.
“Coach Box.”
From that first phone call with Glenn Box, Miami just felt right for Singer. Box, head coach of the RedHawks’ women’s basketball program, was a driving factor in Singer’s decision to come to Oxford, Ohio, from her home in Haifa, Israel.
Likewise, Singer has developed into a driving factor behind the team’s potent offense. The sophomore point guard heads into Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game against West Virginia as the program’s single-season leader in assists with 240.
That’s also good for the seventh best single-season mark in the Mid-American Conference. Box called Singer “the best point guard in our league,” and it’s hard to dispute that characterization.
“She’s certainly someone who has matured immensely in her time here,” Box said. “You see her growing up. You see her more confident in her decision-making.”
“Coach Box.”
From that first phone call with Glenn Box, Miami just felt right for Singer. Box, head coach of the RedHawks’ women’s basketball program, was a driving factor in Singer’s decision to come to Oxford, Ohio, from her home in Haifa, Israel.
Likewise, Singer has developed into a driving factor behind the team’s potent offense. The sophomore point guard heads into Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game against West Virginia as the program’s single-season leader in assists with 240.
That’s also good for the seventh best single-season mark in the Mid-American Conference. Box called Singer “the best point guard in our league,” and it’s hard to dispute that characterization.
“She’s certainly someone who has matured immensely in her time here,” Box said. “You see her growing up. You see her more confident in her decision-making.”
Tamar Singer (13) makes a pass to a RedHawk teammate during the MAC Tournament. Miami won that tournament, earning its first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2008.
The reason for that?
“I will say we have really good shooters,” Singer said. “At the end of the day, I’m making the pass, but they need to score it. As a team, we’re sharing the ball. We’re playing for each other. It’s a big thing.”
Singer is also one of four RedHawks averaging double digits. She’s scoring 10.9 points per game, with Amber Tretter contributing a team-high 14.5, Amber Scalia 13.7, and Ilse de Vries 12.7.
That steady offensive output has yielded historic results. Miami won both the MAC regular-season and tournament championships this year on the way to earning an automatic bid and a No. 13 seed in the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008.
Singer described the postseason as “amazing.”
“I’ve never experienced this before. I didn’t really know how it works,” Singer said. “I’m really thankful for the opportunity.”
Tamar Singer (13) is one of four RedHawks averaging double figures this season and is a key part of Miami's stingy defense.
The RedHawks have held their foes to 58.5 points per game this year, while forcing them into just over 20 turnovers each contest.
Like with the offense, Singer is a major part of the RedHawks’ defensive effort.
“I feel like at times she’s even better this year than she’s been in the past,” Box said. “With us being a defensive ball club, we need her to play at a high level on the defensive end, and she does that for us.”
The RedHawks like to remind themselves they’re a defensive team first, Singer said.
“Our offense is at its best when the defense is good,” Singer said. “It’s a lot about effort. We just want to win so badly, so we’re playing for each other.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.