Benet's Doyle able to adjust to meet each game's demands
Benet's Kathleen Doyle has a keen sense of what's she needs to do to help her team win.
“She has such a great feel for the game,” Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. “She understands that for us to be good, we need balance. We just can't rely on her all the time. So she's very willing and very good at facilitating.”
But then there are times when the Redwings need Doyle to put on her Supergirl cape and carry them on her more than capable shoulders.
“When we need her to step into that role, she can,” Kilbride said. “She did that during the state tournament last year. She scored more in five of the seven games we played in the state tournament than she had the rest of the season.”
Last year Doyle scored what was then a personal-high 25 points in the regional championship game victory over Naperville North. She followed that with a 17-point performance in the supersectional win over Edwardsville, and added a team-high 18 points in the title game against Fremd.
Doyle has shown the ability to take over offensively again this year with 25 points including the game-winner in Tuesday's 53-51 supersectional win over Edwardsville, and a personal-high 31 points in a 68-60 sectional championship game victory over Oswego East.
Her 31-point outburst came just three days after she took a back seat to Kendal Schramek's 27 points and a combined 31 points from Elise Stout and Katie Jaseckas in a 71-60 sectional semifinal victory over Neuqua Valley, and Stout's 32-point outburst against Plainfield East.
It's her sense of when she needs to facilitate, when she need to score and her ability to lead Benet to victory no matter what the situation calls for that has made Doyle the Daily Herald's DuPage County girls basketball All-Area Captain for the second year in a row.
Doing it all
Doyle's statistics aren't markedly different than last year. She is averaging a shade better than 17 points per game, leads the team in assists, steals, blocked shots, free-throws made and free-throw attempts and is second in rebounds.
But it's to her credit that the Redwings are in position to defend their Class 4A title despite the graduation of Emily Schramek and Emily Eshoo, who accounted for nearly half of Benet's scoring during their 34-3 championship season.
“We're averaging probably 10 points less a game than we did last year,” Kilbride said. “It's a different mix. It's a different dynamic. We're good at certain things that we weren't as good at last year, and we're not as good at other things that we were good at last year.
“But so much of our success is because Kathleen leads by example and she leads by her confidence. It's certainly infectious. The team feeds off her leadership. When she's attacking, it's almost like she's ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade' and they're all going right behind her. Her confidence is a real weapon.”
If there was one area where Doyle lacked confidence last season, it was from behind the arc. She remedied that with a lot of hard work during the summer.
“I really didn't shoot that many 3s last year,” she said. “I was usually passing it off to the Emilys (Schramek and Eshoo). They helped me get the assist. But this year I've been more aggressive on offense. That's helped me to grow as a player.”
Doyle may have had to work on her shooting, but her leadership qualities have never been questioned.
“Last year I led by example,” she said. “That was kind my job, to keep everybody together. But this year I have to steer the ship the whole way and make sure the team mojo is good. I'm in charge of a lot more things.”
Doyle counts playing last year alongside Emily Schramek and Emily Eshoo and other members of the state championship team, including returning players Kendal Schramek, Jaseckas and Stout, as a highlight.
“Definitely as a basketball player, being a part of the team like that is so special,” she said. “Not a lot of people get to experience something like that in a lifetime. It was amazing that I could achieve a state championship with my teammates, with those girls.
“But I feel this year's team is just as special. It's really an exciting time to be a part of the Benet program.”
And although she may look like she's all business on the court, Doyle never forgets that basketball, after all, is a game, and she embraces every moment she can play it.
“I have a lot of fun when I'm playing,” she said. “Nothing can beat high school basketball. The atmosphere and the passion that surrounds it, especially here where we won the first state championship in basketball for Benet. It's special, extremely special.
“Of course, winning a state title made a little more fun,” Doyle added.
Big things ahead
Next year Doyle will take her skills to Nebraska, which had made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances prior to this season. It's easy to understand why Doyle gravitated to Lincoln.
“I just love the people there,” she said. “They're so passionate about their school, the academics and their sports. So many people want you to succeed, and it's hard not to with the amount of support you get. It just seemed like the best fit for me.”
Doyle, who played her club basketball for the Chicago Hoops Express and coach Jerald Davis, chose Nebraska over Indiana, Wake Forest, Dayton and Marquette. She also strongly considered several Ivy League schools.
She could have the opportunity to start right away. The Cornhuskers graduate two senior guards, leaving a vacancy at the point.
“I hope I can start,” Doyle said. “That would be pretty awesome. There will be an opportunity there and hopefully I can take advantage of it.”
It sounds as if Nebraska is willing to give Doyle every opportunity to win a starting job.
“We're confident that in Kathleen we have found a winner both on and off the court,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said. “She is an extremely smart player with a high basketball IQ, and she is also a really intelligent person off the court who was recruited by basically all the Ivy League schools.
“Kathleen is a pass-first point guard who can shoot it, too, and she is a tough defender,” Yori added. “She knows how to find the best solution to leading her team to victory.”
That sounds familiar.
Kathleen Doyle. Winner.
That sounds familiar, too.