This is a birthday Saquan Singleton won’t ever forget.The day he turned 22 was also the culmination of a long-winding journey, one that took him from The Bronx to New Hampshire and Kansas, and now New Mexico.That’s where the Hutchinson Community College (Kan.) star will be spending the next two years of his life, playing for coach Paul Weir after picking the Lobos over Alabama and a host of others, he told The Post.“It is a dream come true. I just worked very hard to get this point where I’m at,” the versatile 6-foot-6 guard said in a phone interview. “I’ve been through a lot. I’m just happy to be here and complete this mission.”Growing up in the rugged Stevenson Commons Apartments in The Bronx was difficult. Two of Singleton’s friends in high school were killed. It would have been easy to take shortcuts, take a different route. But he had a strong support system, like his brother Nukoy, cousin Mercedes Dukes, high school coach Dwayne Mitchell and advisor Kashif Pratt, that didn’t let him make him poor decisions. Sports were an outlet. He was determined to be different, be the first member of his family to graduate college.“Not a lot of people make it out where I’m from,” said Singleton, an All-Region VI first team selection who averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals this year. “Basketball was my guidance. I felt like basketball was my way out, my meal ticket.”There were missteps along the way. It wasn’t a straight line of success. Singleton wasn’t a qualifier out of high school and wound up at Notre Dame Prep (N.H.) after playing for Monsignor Scanlan. Less than two months in, however, it became clear he would need junior college, and so Pratt – a former local high school star who played for Iona College – pulled him out. Pratt sent him to Hutchinson, where Singleton has blossomed on the court and off.At the start, he was rough around the edges, assistant coach Jay Cyriac recalled, “very New York City-ish” He saw a drastic change in Singleton this year. The player who would frequently get assessed technical fouls his first season didn’t get a single one his second season. The player the coaching staff had to keep close tabs on in the classroom took major steps forward academically, to the point where he didn’t even need to be checked on. The transformation began last summer, when Singleton stayed in Kansas rather than going home, taking classes and putting in extra work.“It was time for me to buckle up and be more mature, seeing my real goals [within reach],” he said.Singleton became the model of what Hutchinson hopes its players developed into. Cyriac sees him becoming more of a friend than a former player in the years to come, the two talk so often. Upon the school’s request, Singleton filmed a video for the team’s fans during the coronavirus pandemic. He would often be asked to accompany recruits during visits. This year, all four he spent time with picked the Kansas school.“He’s a success story,” Cyriac said. “I’ve never seen a complete turnaround [like his].”Playing Division I basketball was always a dream. But he has even higher hopes. He wants to make an impact for New Mexico and create a career out of basketball, help his family and be someone young people in his neighborhood can look up to as a role model.“This,” Singleton said, “is about to be the starting point.”

Bronx product Saquan Singleton finally getting Division I dream with New Mexico