The 6-foot-3 Cal State East Bay fifth-year senior is the one who will garner some momentary notice during a game -- "I play with a motor, diving on loose balls, doing things that don't show up in the stat sheets" -- but isn't generally not talked about by fans post-game.
He is also the type whose playing time usually increases as the season progresses and this was again true in 2017 as his game minutes in the last quarter of the schedule were 32, 25, 23, 18, 23, 11 and 15. When a spark is needed or something on the floor needs correcting, it's Singh time.
Here's Pioneer Assistant Coach Daniel Eberhardt: "Pom Singh is a competitor in every sense of the word and an example to our program of what it meant to be all-in. He was someone who could always be counted on and we are going to miss him tremendously."
For a guy who didn't seriously play until high school, he sports a high basketball IQ. "I don't like to brag but my IQ is pretty up there," Singh offered. "I know what is going on in the game." He credits this knowledge database to listening to and taking in advice.
Regarding leadership, Singh explained, "l lead by my actions but I'll talk when it's time to talk." With an interesting take, he explained, "I don't want there to be just one leader because if anyone has something to say, they need to speak up."
He continued, "I was on the freshman team my freshman year and junior varsity as a sophomore at Newark Memorial. Then it was varsity as a junior and senior. I had great people to look up to in Coach (Craig) Ashmore, Assistant Coach (Paul) Weiss, Khion Sankey and Jisuan Randle. Basketball has been a part of my life since my freshman year in high school. I fell in love with it quickly. It's kept me straight, and strong in school."
His best high school basketball moments took place two years apart. "In my sophomore year, Newark Memorial went to the state championship (losing 63-56 versus Westchester High) and as a senior, we played but lost (63-58) to Mitty in the Nor Cals. In my last college game, we were down but came back and won in the last seconds of the game, leaving my college career with a win."
So why the selection of Cal State East Bay? "Coming out of high school, I always was an underdog" which matched the reputation of the California Collegiate Athletic Association hoops program. A number of community college coaches wanted him to sign on but "I had grades, Cal State East Bay offered and [the location] was convenient."
One other significant element that sold him on the Pioneers from the get-go "is Cal State East Bay always has a family atmosphere. It's friends who have your back." That's an important carryover as Singh still stays in touch even with some of the Newark Memorial teammates.
Coming to Cal State East Bay, his game needed broadening. "In high school, I played the post so I expanded my game off that. I worked a lot with Coach (Gus) Argenal, Coach Eb (Assistant Coach Daniel Eberhardt and Coach (Jay) Flores on developing a shot."
Now after five years of Pioneer life, Singh is in his last quarter with two weeks remaining and he'll soon possess a degree in business administration.
"My dream is to keep playing. I love basketball and I want to keep playing somewhere. As a kid, I dreamed of playing in the NBA and now I'm looking at overseas."
He cited his family as his most important influence. "My family has worked hard for me to have a good life and a future and now I want to work hard for them. I would like to thank all my coaches -- high school, AAU and college -- for their help and thank my family as well as friends that have become family."
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