Senior Tom Doyle is the Men’s Basketball team’s powerade. He fuels the team’s passion and powers them forward to succeed.
Doyle recently reached a 1,000 point landmark during the Owls’ game against Middlebury on Feb. 3.
The senior star player said that reaching this milestone has been a aspiration of his.
“It was a personal goal for me so it was great when I got it. That’s what every player works for, trying to play their best,” Doyle said.
Doyle, the team’s leading scorer, has seen his scoring numbers rise with each season.
Kyle Bailey / Photo Editor
Doyle currently averages just over 18 points per game this season, including nine games in which he racked up over 20 points. Doyle puts in extra work in order to play at such a high level and encourages his teammates to do the same.
“We’re always in the gym. I mean that’s just how it is,” Doyle said.
“Even though we’re there for two hours specifically, I’m always trying to get a lift in, trying to get some shots up,” he said.
Doyle’s coach, Rob Colbert, put it in simpler terms.
“He eats his Wheaties every day,” Colbert joked. Doyle’s teammates have seen the work he has put into his sport, but also see his basketball IQ as one of his strengths.
“He knows when to pass it. He knows when to shoot it. He usually takes good shots and, defensively, he’s a very smart defensive player,” teammate Lucas Hamill said. The hard work Doyle puts in and his smarts on the court have allowed him, according to Hamill, to be a clutch player.
“He’s definitely had a few games where he’s saved us . . . He’s really done a great job coming through when we’ve needed him, especially with a timely basket or two,” Hamill said. The younger players on the team have also noticed the impact that the veteran brings to games. Rodney Jean-Marie, a sophomore who joined the team this season as a walk-on, has been watching his teammate play.
“He’s been playing on fire. He’s been lights-out during games. Just all-in-all playing great,” Jean-Marie said.
Jean-Marie, who is still building his skills on the team, said he would like to emulate certain aspects of Doyle’s game. “His shot, perfect form, perfect follow-through. It would be great to follow his shot,” Jean-Marie said. Coach Colbert touched on Doyle’s role on the team and how he affects his fellow teammates.
“Tom is the straw that stirs the drink. I mean he’s our best player. He makes big shots. He makes big plays, especially on the defensive end. He plays with so much experience, poise and confidence that I think is contagious. He holds kids to a standard in practice that he holds himself to. So yeah, he’s been the go-to guy,” Colbert said. With the end of his career at KSC approaching, Doyle was able to take a moment to look back on his time at the New Hampshire campus. “It was just a great experience, it still is. I didn’t really know what to expect coming in, but, looking back at it, I had a great time.”
Although his skills are well-honed, there is one aspect in which Hamill thinks that his six-foot, three-inch counterpart needs more practice.
“He needs to work on his dunking ability, that’s what I think he should be working on . . . He should be catching some alley-oops,” Hamill joked. Doyle’s career, while in its home stretch, is not quite over. The KSC Owls are preparing to enter the playoffs and make a run at the Little East Conference Championship.
Doyle noted that he, as well as the rest of his team, are ready for their chance at the title and look to up their game to the next level.
While his teammates said Doyle will make big plays in the postseason, his coach was a little more blunt when discussing if his star will be an impact player in the upcoming playoffs.
“He’s our best player, he better,” Colbert said.
Jacob Barrett can be contacted at jbarrett@kscequinox.com
