Mr. Jason Singleton, Academy’s New Athletic Director (Andrew Barren’22/Media editor)
What is 1½ times the size of a hockey rink,⅓ the size of the White House. and ⅕ the size of a Manhattan city block? Columbus Academy’s upcoming 24,000-square-foot indoor Field House.
A project that has been in construction since early this year, the initiative to add a Field House to our campus began as an idea to increase our number of locker rooms, which then evolved into a proposal for a building to house three basketball or volleyball courts, a climbing wall, three locker rooms, and six offices to accommodate off-campus coaches.
Academy’s multi-use facility will open up space for outdoor sports to practice indoors during poor weather conditions, while also providing equipment for golf and hockey teams, so they can practice on school grounds, making it more convenient to coordinate offseason training sessions.
Overseeing and leading the continued growth of Academy’s athletic department is the new Athletic Director, Jason Singleton, who is no stranger to the court or the field.
Growing up in Detroit, Singleton was a huge sports fan. The Detroit Pistons, Lions, Redwings, and Lions, along with the Fab Five of the Michigan basketball team were all special to him.
Singleton would go on to play basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes, even leading them to the NCAA Final Four in his senior year as the team’s captain. He admits that at first, he wasn’t aware of how extreme the rivalry was between Ohio and Michigan until he committed, but now he noticeably only uses the term, TTUN. (The Team Up North)
Following that miracle run in the tournament, Singleton went on to play professional basketball in Europe and Australia, before pursuing higher education and eventually making his way back to the Buckeyes.
At The Ohio State University, Singleton served in a number of positions, as an Associate director of Compliance, Director of Development, as well as the Men’s Basketball Administrator and the Assistant Athletic Director.
For Singleton, a man who wore many distinguished hats, to leave a university as decorated as Ohio State, a new job offering had to really impress him. A position as the new Athletic Director at Columbus Academy did just that. Among other things, Singleton particularly liked how hard students worked, both in the classroom and on the field. Academy’s success under Facciolla is something that he can’t wait to continue.
From the Wolverines to the Buckeyes, Singleton has had a life filled with athletic organizations and sports teams. This year, it is time to add the Vikings to that list.
