Doyle honored to have jersey retired at Benet Academy
Benet girls basketball coach Joe Kilbride had a simple question for Kathleen Doyle, yet it was one she wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Coach Kilbride asked me what I was doing on Jan. 13 and I said, I don’t know, what am I doing on Jan. 13?” she said.
On Saturday Doyle had her No. 11 basketball jersey retired by her alma mater in a halftime ceremony during a game against St. Viator.
“I’m the youngest of six kids, so growing up here basically and seeing my name up in the gym now is pretty cool,” Doyle said. “For sure, yeah, definitely surreal. That’s what I mean. Growing up here I would have never even thought about that, so the fact that it happened is really special and I’m honored.”
There’s no doubt Doyle is deserving. In four varsity seasons, the point guard scored 1,636 points, grabbed 516 rebounds, dished 442 assists, made 297 steals and blocked 119 shots in 133 games.
A 2016 graduate, Doyle was the Illinois Miss Basketball that year as well as a MaxPreps All-American. She was a two-time IBCA All-State player, the 2016 East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year and a two-time Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area captain.
Doyle also led Benet to two state championships.
She was such a good athlete that she jumped center as a freshman.
Doyle went on to play at the University of Iowa, then was drafted by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, where she played one season. She also played a season in Poland and two in Turkey.
“Great experience playing overseas, really competitive basketball and pretty cool to get paid to play basketball. I can’t really complain about that. Great experience, ready to be home now and try coaching and staying around the game,” she said.
Doyle, 25, recently decided to retire as a player and is transitioning into coaching, hoping to eventually work her way into the college ranks. For now she’s assisting Gene Heidkamp with the Benet boys varsity.
“It’s awesome,” Doyle said. “I love seeing the game from a different perspective and I’m learning a ton from coach Heidkamp, so it’s been great.
“It’s not all that different (coaching boys). Basketball is basketball, right? It’s just a little bit different game. They play above the rim and that’s just the only difference honestly. They’re great kids. The boys program has welcomed me with open arms, and it’s fun seeing the game from a different perspective.”
Doyle said the players she coaches are well aware of her accomplishments as a player.
“They’ve talked to me about my highlights and stuff like that. I’m like, why are we watching that? Watch tape of yourself before watching tape of me. No, they’re great.”
The decision to stop playing wasn’t easy, but it feels right, she said.
“I love to play still It felt like it was time. That’s a decision I made, but I’ll always love the game and be close to it,” she said. “Being overseas is hard and I decided it was time.”