Alecia Doyle, the freshman shaking up SEMO women’s basketball

From a small town of just under 6,000 people in Carterville, Illinois, 5’8” guard and bubble tea lover Alecia Doyle is making a big-time impact for SEMO women’s basketball in her freshman campaign.

Playing in all 23 games so far this season and starting in 19 of them, Doyle has accumulated the most starts on the team as a freshman and second most overall, behind junior guard Sophie Bussard. She is on the court for an average of 20 minutes a game, leading the Redhawks in free throw percentage at 83.3 percent and sitting top five in offensive rebounds, assists, and points per game.

With her unexpected role as a freshman, Doyle stands appreciative.

“I did not think I would be contributing like this,” Doyle said. “A lot of players on this team are very good and very talented, so I’m just grateful to God that I was seen as one who could help contribute as much as I do.”

In Carterville, a town she described as a place where everybody knew everybody, Doyle began her basketball journey with her mom, Terica Hathaway-Doyle, playing a huge role because of her career as a collegiate basketball player at Southern Illinois University.

“My mom introduced me to all different types of sports, so it wasn’t just basketball. However, I ended up falling in love with the game through her telling me about her experience playing basketball at SIU, so she became my inspiration to be just like her,” Doyle said. “We would go outside every day and she would work with me and train me, trying to get me better to become a Division 1 athlete.”

Hathaway-Doyle is 12th on SIU women’s basketball all-time scoring list, scoring 1,238 points over the span of four years, from 1998 to 2001.

In her sophomore year of high school, a time when Doyle said she was a player who was relentless in her pursuit to win, her and her mom’s hard work seemed to start to pay off as Doyle realized she could go somewhere with the sport.

It was a year after this when Redhawks coach Rekha Patterson took a liking to her.

“We found out about Alecia through social media during her junior year, watched her play AAU ball the following summer with Bradley Beal Elite, and identified her as someone who could help us,” Patterson said.

Patterson also said Alecia was and still is exactly what her team looks for in players.

“Outside of her game, we felt like Alecia as a person could help our culture and be a great representative of SEMO women’s basketball on campus and in the community. Her habits and her work ethic were something we believed would meet and exceed the standards of our program,” Patterson said. “On the court, her ability to score, pass, and rebound the ball are things that stand out.”

Sophomore forward Halle Smith also had praises for Doyle on the court.

“Playing alongside her as a friend is really fun because she is very encouraging and works really hard,” Smith said. “She is fearless and able to knock off mistakes easily, not dwelling on them, but instead she keeps going even if she is struggling at the moment.

Off the court, Patterson said Doyle is pretty funny, likes to smile, and called her a sunshine because she typically lights up a room. Patterson also said one will grow to love Doyle the more time spent with her. In her free time, Doyle enjoys hanging with friends, watching kids' movies with Smith, reading her Bible and praying. Doyle’s faith is important to her and said she wants people to know that she loves God, and God loves back.

Doyle is back to business at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Show Me Center to take on visiting Morehead State University.