Men’s basketball guard suspended from team

Pretrial for Kent State men’s basketball guard Chris Singletary has been set for Feb. 28.

Singletary was arrested and charged with driving under the influence during the weekend, according to a Kent Police arrest report.

Singletary, who was suspended indefinitely Sunday before Kent State’s 67-58 win against Western Michigan, was arrested at 2:43 a.m. on Saturday at the intersection of Main Street and Overlook Road.

According to the police report, Singletary was stopped for going left of center. According to the report, Singletary was slurring his speech and police “detected a moderate odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.”

Singletary was asked to do a field sobriety test, and he was found to be impaired.

Singletary, 19, had a blood alcohol level of .134 percent, nearly seven times the under 21 legal limit, which is .02 percent. The legal limit for individuals over the age of 21 is .08 percent.

Teammate sophomore Rodriquez Sherman picked up Singletary at 4:10 a.m. Saturday after he was released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond. Singletary’s arraignment is scheduled for today at 8:15 a.m. at the Kent Municipal Court.

“I want to apologize to my family, my teammates, the fans and to the administration at Kent State for my actions over the weekend,” Singletary said in a statement before Sunday’s game. “I let you — and myself — down. There is a lot going on in my personal life, which I let affect my judgment in a negative manner and I am truly sorry that my actions have cast a negative light on the program.”

On Sunday the Kent State athletic department issued a press release regarding Singletary’s situation.

“We fully support Chris as he goes through this difficult time and we look forward to him rejoining the team in the near future,” Athletic Director Laing Kennedy said in the press release.

According to Kent State’s Student-Athlete Handbook, athletes who are arrested and charged with a misdemeanor on or off campus will be automatically suspended for the next contest. The handbook also says the suspension may be extended beyond one contest and may include practice, depending on a review by the head coach and athletic director.

Kent State coach Jim Christian was unsure of Singletary’s status for the season, but he is not expected to play in Wednesday night’s game at Eastern Michigan.

“Right now, I want to do what’s best for Chris,” Christian said. “We want to help him as best we can and worry about basketball later.”

Christian said Singletary will travel with the team on Wednesday and to Toledo this Saturday.

Singletary was suspended for two games earlier this season for violating campus policies and was suspended for violating team rules last season.

Singletary, a Chicago native, was selected to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team last season after averaging six points per game. Singletary had started the previous eight games for the Flashes before Saturday’s incident, averaging 11.4 points in those games. He scored 18 points last week against rival Akron, a game in which Kent State won 75-69.

Contact assistant sports editor Joe Harrington at [email protected].