CHICAGO – Chicago Hoops Express coach Jerald Davis always believed his backcourt prodigy, Kathleen Doyle, was capable of playing Division I basketball.
But there was one aspect of Doyle’s overall package that nestled itself in the back of his mind: Does she have what it takes physically to play in a major conference in college?
“I wondered, would it just be better to pursue mid-majors?” Davis said.
That, however, was before Doyle sprouted nearly three inches during the past 12 months, now carrying a 5-foot-9 frame into what will be her junior season at Benet Academy near Chicago.
Doyle always had the skills and intangibles to be an elite prospect. Rather suddenly, thanks to a boost in her genetic fortunes, Doyle has blossomed into a prospect that has burst onto the forefront of major college programs.
“(Recently) people saw her a couple inches taller than she was last fall, and she became a legitimate entity instead of something they were (just) watching,” Davis said.
Thus Doyle enters the July evaluation period as a burgeoning point guard prospect, one who quickly grabbed the attention of colleges during the spring and early summer portion of the club season.
In just a couple weeks this spring, Davis spoke to no fewer than 21 schools about Doyle, including seven from BCS conferences.
The ramped-up attention hasn’t surprised Doyle, but she acknowledged that it is exciting.
“I hoped it would come. I didn’t know it would be like this,” Doyle said. “ I just think the whole recruiting process is so fun. I think it’s crazy that all these colleges are talking to me. It’s fun. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Why are colleges so eager to get her attention? Doyle can check most of the boxes.
–She’s uber-competitive.
Doyle is the youngest of six children, all athletes, including oldest brother Mick, who played baseball at Notre Dame, and sister Sheila, a rising sophomore on the North Carolina volleyball team.
“You should see our family play a board game,” Doyle said. “It’s pretty funny.”
There is nothing funny, however, about her approach to basketball. She means business.
“Ever since I was little, I just loved to play basketball,” she said. “I’m the youngest of six kids and they all played basketball. Pretty competitive, I’d say. That competitiveness helps me want to be better than everybody else.”
–She’s skilled enough to play either guard position.
Doyle’s ballhandling abilities are unquestioned. She’s a consistent perimeter shooter and is unafraid to create opportunities off the dribble.
“We isolate her against athletic kids, and because of her handles – she can rock you, she can wrap you, she can do all kinds of things with the ball – Kathleen can actually get past almost anybody,” Davis said. “Because of her ability to handle the ball, it offsets anything anybody else has as far as stopping her. She can shoot from multiple places on the floor, and she can go left and right.
“Her athleticism and her speed sometimes are very deceptive. And I think we all fall into certain stereotypes. Even though I’ve coached her, maybe I haven’t given her enough credit. She’s a really good athlete.”
–She’s savvy, and combines that trait with an eagerness to learn and grow.
“She’s very grounded,” Davis said. “She’s always been good to coach. She always listens. She always plays hard. It’s not difficult to motivate her or instruct her. She is a student of the game. She probably has one of the most natural feels for basketball that I’ve coached. She just instinctively plays basketball. You don’t have to tell her much.”
–She’s an outstanding student, from a school with a reputation for producing college-ready students.
“She’s a straight-A kid,” Davis said. “Stanford has her transcripts, and they’re still recruiting her.”
Enough said.
It is an impressive package. Davis said Doyle, at this stage of her career, is perhaps the most highly recruited player he’s had. This from a program that has spawned dozens of Division I players through the years, including McDonald’s All-Americans Alison Jackson and Devereaux Peters.
“I’ve never had a kid in their sophomore year who has over 30 schools significantly reach out to make contact and want to make contact on a regular basis,” he said.
Doyle said she has taken unofficial visits to Marquette and DePaul, and might take a few later this summer. Her July schedule is a busy one and includes stops at USJN’s Indy 100 on July 9-10 and the Midwest Summer Challenge July 11-12, along with the Blue Star Nationals July 27-29. With a strong showing, Davis’ phone might never stop ringing.
“People are really, really trying to get in now because (with) a good July, this kid is going to be off the table,” Davis said.
Doyle isn’t the only Hoops Express standout with a bright future. Among the others:
Alyssa Moore (2017, 5-3, G, Kenwood High School): “Alyssa Moore is going to blow a lot of people away,” Davis said. “She is a ridiculous athlete. She’s probably the most athletic kid I’ve ever coached. She’s a track kid and she can jump out of the gym. Defensively she creates so much havoc, she just has a physical imprint on the game that includes everything from blocking shots to getting rebounds to scoring points to getting the 50-50 balls.”
Erin Sinnott (2015, 6-0, PF, Oswego High School): “Erin is our glue kid. She is a stretch 4 with unlimited range. She is a great leader and does all the intangibles playing primarily as an undersized post on defense. She is a great ball mover, finishes well at the rim and is just that gritty kid that is appreciated more by the coach than those watching her play,” Davis said.
Alisa Fallon (2018, 5-8, G, Trinity High School): “Fallon is the ultimate facilitator. She can play anywhere on the court and is a big guard who is adept at playing facing (the basket) or with her back to the basket. Often times you have to force her to score as she is a pass-first type of player but having her on the floor makes everything much easier,” Davis said.
Maryam Wilcher (2016, 6-0, F, Morton High School): “She is a 6-0 wing who can really score the ball. She is athletic, rebounds well and is a good defender. She is deadly on the pull-up and an exceptional penetrator. Maryam has the biggest upside of all these kids because she has developed over the last year as a No. 1 option who can score when you really need it.”
