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Doyle Reaches 1,000-Point Career Milestone

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A senior swingman on the Keene State College men’s basketball team, Tom Doyle is no fan of the winter weather. “There’s too much snow. It’s too cold to walk around,” he says.

Fortunately, the Wallingford, Conn., native is a big fan of Keene State, deciding to stay in New England and play for the Owls, unlike his younger brother Matt, a sophomore who opted for the Sunshine State and attends the University of Tampa.

Although he had to wait his turn to crack the Owls’ starting line-up and earn significant playing time, Doyle has made up for lost time in recent seasons, becoming a major contributor, a team leader, and, most recently, a 1,000-point scorer. “Everyone has personal goals, but I can’t say getting 1,000 points was a goal of mine,” admits Doyle, who reached the milestone with his recent 25-point performance in a 96-83 non-conference loss to Middlebury. “I just like playing a lot and it just happened.”

The snow didn’t seem to detour Doyle for reaching the coveted milestone. For the record, 10 inches (estimated by the National Climatic Data Center) was piled up outside Middlebury’s Pepin Gymnasium that night.

More focused on the game than the stat sheet, Doyle knew he was close to reaching 1,000. “My uncle (Bobby Rafferty) actually told me,” said Doyle, who becomes the 33rd player in the program to join the 1,000-point career club. “He knows all our stats and follows the Little East Conference pretty closely. Honestly, I was just focused on the game.”

While Doyle plays down the accomplishment, that’s not the case for his teammates and for Keene State Coach Rob Colbert. “I’m very happy for Tommy. It’s a nice individual accolade for any player to have,” said Colbert. “He has scored in so many different ways and at so many different times. He’s done whatever was needed, and this year we needed him to carry more of a load. He’s done that, developing into quite an offensive threat.”

“I was just proud of him,” said sophomore point guard Lucas Hammel. “He’s such a hard worker and such a leader of our team. He’s the type of kid who deserves that recognition and to leave that type of legacy at Keene State.”

Doyle comes from a long legacy of basketball players. His grandfather and father, both named Tom, excelled on the court. His grandfather played on senior Olympic teams that toured the country while his dad was a Hall of Fame player at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Penn. The basketball bloodlines also include his siblings, Matt and Patrick, past and present players respectively at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Conn.

Basketball has always been a part of Tom Doyle’s life. As a young kid, he was frequently at the court, accompanying his father, who was a longtime referee. Competitive by nature, Doyle honed his skills going up against a group of talented local players, including John Papale, a starter at Boston University, and Mike Vallone, who currently plays at Lasell College in Newton, Mass. Doyle’s AAU team, the Connecticut Hoop Stars, coached by Papale’s father, reached the national finals his sophomore season, traveling down to Wild World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

As in college, Doyle had to practice not only his skills, but also his patience before getting a chance to display his prowess with the varsity team. He used his time well, developing his skills going up against a loaded Green Knight varsity team. “I had to wait my turn,” said Doyle. “We had great practices when our junior varsity team would scrimmage our varsity team. It was always competitive and helped me out a lot.”

Getting a shot with the varsity as a junior, Doyle made his mark on and off the court, serving as the Green Knights’ senior captain while earning a spot on the Connecticut Coaches High School All-Star and All-Academic teams. Playing in the tough Southern Connecticut Conference, his junior team was set to make some noise in the tournament until the center went down with an injury late in the season. Initially looking to take his basketball talents down south, Doyle had a change of heart after coming up to the Keene State campus. KSC assistant coach Kevin Justice, a frequent visitor to Notre Dame games, kept tabs on Tom. What did Justice see in Doyle’s game that he liked?

“What didn’t I see? You’re seeing it now,” said a laughing Justice. “He was a tough and gritty kid who did everything for his team. I really liked the way he competed. I don’t think at that point he was the offensive player he is now, but he impacted the game in so many other ways.”

Joining a talented Keene State team as a freshman, Doyle, who was named to the All-LEC Rookie team, took advantage of playing time, making his presence felt on the defensive side of the court and showing a knack for knocking down some big shots, including a baseline three-pointer in the closing seconds of play in Keene State’s 92-91 upset win over nationally ranked Rhode Island College.

Moving into the starting line-up as a sophomore, Doyle used his versatility to become a key contributor on an Owl team that reached the LEC championship game. After helping a young KSC team navigate through a rebuilding season last year, Doyle, the lone senior citizen on the team, has emerged as Keene State’s top scorer and team leader this season.

Second in the LEC in scoring with 18.6 ppg average, Doyle has been Tom Terrific for the Owls this season. A consistent double-figure scorer, who netted a career high 33 points earlier this season in wins over Springfield and Fitchburg State, Doyle leads by example. “We don’t have a named captain on our team, but we all call him Captain Tom as a joke,” said teammate and friend Owen Murphy, a sophomore forward from Plymouth, Mass. “He’s a big part of the leadership on the team and a big part of our success this year.”

Colbert said Doyle wants the ball during crunch time when the game is on the line. “Not only does he not mind it – he demands it,” said the Owls’ coach.

With a couple of marquee wins over Springfield College and UMass-Dartmouth, Keene State is currently jockeying for position in the upcoming LEC tournament. “I never won a championship – that’s the biggest thing for me,” said Doyle. “That would be crazy to win a Little East Championship in my final season.”

Preparing for the final games of his Keene State career, Doyle is also planning for the future. Last summer, Doyle, a safety studies major, did an internship at Pratt & Whitney, an aerospace manufacturer in East Harford. Doyle’s future will also include basketball. “I need to figure out where I am and where my job is, but I’ll definitely get back into it. I will always be around the game,” he said.

In the meantime, there’s still plenty of time for more memories and, unfortunately for Doyle, more snow.

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