Basketball
Favorite athletes: Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant
Favorite team: Golden State Warriors
Favorite memory competing in sports: Hitting a game-winning three against Hatboro-Horsham
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Running back on defense after I missed my free throw because I thought it was a one-and-one even though it was actually two shots.
Music on iPod: Jay Z
Future plans: I am undecided right now, but I would like to have a family and be happy in whatever I do.
Words to live by: “Pain is temporary and it may last for a minute or an hour or even a year, but eventually, it will subside and something else will take its place, but if I quit, however, it will last forever.”
One goal before turning 30: Graduate college and get a job that I love to do everyday.
One thing people don’t know about me: I went to the World Series game at Citi Field this past fall.
By Craig Ostroff
“Family” is a term that is often used to describe the bond that forms between members of a sports team.
For Tom Doyle, basketball is truly a family affair. Because for nearly a decade, Central Bucks South basketball has been a part of his family, and for nearly a decade, his family has been a part of Central Bucks South basketball.
A nine-year relationship with the program that began with his eldest brother Brian and continued through his brother Kevin has come to a close, with Tom proudly upholding the family legacy.
“Growing up, every day, it was basketball with my family,” said Doyle, whose father has also played a part in the family legacy, having served as the Parent Club president for five years. “My brothers would never let me win. My brother Kevin, who’s three years older, we would play every day. It was a war, and he’d never let me win. But honestly, that’s what gave me that determination to become better.
“I was focused not necessarily on basketball, but on beating him. Kevin showed me a lot of stuff, and I thank my brothers for that. Going to all their high school games, watching them play, I really wanted to follow in their footsteps and be better than them.”
So who’s the best basketball player among the brothers? That’s a question that will be left to the ages, and likely to the local basketball courts and gymnasiums. And while he never had the opportunity to play on the same floor as his brother Kevin, who was a senior while Tom played jayvee as a freshman, the youngest Doyle did log significant time on the court with members of the varsity squad that year.
“Whenever Kevin met up to play with his buddies from the team and they needed an extra guy, I’d be playing against them,” he said. “It was pretty tough, but playing against those guys made me better.
“In a (varsity) game, whenever I would play against another guy who was a little better than me, I’d think about the times I’d play against my brother and his friends. I got a lot of competition and experience from them, so playing against other guys was not as intimidating."
And there’s no question that that confidence and experience helped Doyle fill his role perfectly for the Titans in his senior season.
“Tommy wasn’t always the tallest or most athletic kid out there, but he’s always the most hard-working,” said South coach Jason Campbell, who has coached all three Doyle brothers. “He’s quiet at times and doesn’t always say much, but he leads by example.
“My assistant coach Josh Williams put together the offseason weightlifting program, and Tom was one of the guys that really took that program and went all-in with it. He’s so much bigger and stronger now. He really led by example in the weight room, got the guys more dedicated to the program.”
Dedication to the program is what Doyle is all about, according to his coach. Whether it was playing out of position during a game to fill in for an injured player or a teammate in foul trouble, or spending countless hours refining and improving his game on his own, Doyle epitomized the selfless team player.
“Tommy’s the kind of guy who would help the younger guys in practice to help us prepare,” Campbell said. “There were times during the season where he struggled with his shots, so he’d go to his local gym and take extra shots, hundreds of shots, to find his rhythm.”
While some might find the added pressure of having to lead the younger players a burden, Doyle thoroughly enjoyed the chance to take the lessons he had learned over the years and impart them to the underclassmen.
“It’s something I really like to do,” he said. “I like to get on the younger guys, teach them the stuff I learned from my coaches or friends or brothers. Working with guys like Nate Robinson and Alex Karras, I think they’re going to be great players next year. So I would just tell them to focus on the little things, never take a day off, never take a second off. I wouldn’t call it pressure. It was fun to see them learn and progress and improve.”
Doyle remained a steady force for the Titans in a season that didn’t quite go as planned. Preseason goals included challenging for the Continental Conference title, qualifying for the District One Tournament, and advancing to the PIAA State Tournament. Instead, the Titans flirted with .500, ending the season at 10-12 overall, 6-8 and fifth place in league play. South lost its district opener to a familiar foe, fifth-ranked (and Continental Conference champion) Pennridge, dashing the team’s hopes of advancing to states.
“Things didn’t fall into place for us,” Doyle said. “We played great toward the end of the season, but it just wasn’t enough. Personally, think I played well toward the end of the season, definitely against West was one of my best games.
“On the whole, though, I have no regrets. I played with some of my best friends for four years. We fell short this year, but it was a fun season.”
That attitude and perseverance are two more defining characteristics of the senior.
“The whole Doyle family has always been about the team,” Campbell said. “Tom obviously wants to win and wants to score, but he’s more about the team and representing the school and doing what’s best for the entire program.
“That says a lot about a kid—he wants to score points, but he wants to score to help the team, he’s not worrying about his stats. You need guys like Tom who lead by example, who are encouraging to the younger players, and who are the first to show up to practice and the last to leave.”
Doyle brings the same work ethic and dedication into the classroom. Having two brothers go through the basketball program and a father closely involved, Doyle has had it ingrained that academics come first.
He is also a young man who is grateful to all those who have had an effect on his life, both on the court and off. He is quick to show his appreciation for all that his brothers and family have provided him in helping him improve his game. He repeatedly draws attention to his coaches for their hard work and lessons taught, his teammates—Doyle points specifically to fellow seniors Ryan Joerger (“We played together at Unami and South,” Doyle said. “We would always play against each other in practice and have great battles. He really pushed me.”) and Tim Waddington (“Tim would always call me and ask me if I wanted to meet him at the track in the summer and do sprints and ladder drills.”)—and even an archrival (“I played with a lot of [Central Bucks] West players in AAU growing up, and I played with Billy Power for years and it's really fun watching us now and seeing how far we've come.”)
Doyle is still unsure about his next step. He’s mulling over several colleges, and is considering criminal justice as a possible major, though he adds that he would love to stay involved with basketball and possibly coach at a high school in the future.
But while his next steps remain up in the air, one thing remains certain … the next time Central Bucks South’s boys basketball team takes to the court, there will be no Doyle on the roster.
It’s something that hasn’t quite sunk in yet. And Doyle admits, it’s going to be strange.
“Walking off the court after the loss to Pennridge, it was very, very emotional,” he said. “Coach Campbell came up to me after the game, thanked me and my family for all the things we’ve accomplished as a family in the program.
“It’s sort of sad not being able to go to a C.B. South game and either be watching my brothers, or playing in it myself. It’s going to be strange, but it’s been a great time. I built so many great relationships, met so many great people, my coaches and teammates through the years have taught me a lot, and not just about basketball. I’m definitely going to miss it.”
