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From the Alexandria Echo: Good kid and I wish him the best at NSU.
Alexandria's Logan Doyle has no regrets about the three years he spent at South Dakota State University.
He had nothing but good things to say about the relationships he built and the things he learned in Brookings. But after his redshirt sophomore season this past winter, Doyle decided to transfer to Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota in an attempt to get more playing time at the Division II level.
"I would do it all over again," Doyle said in an interview with the Echo Press on Wednesday morning, right before signing his paperwork with Northern State. "The three years I've spent here, I've grown so much as a person and basketball-wise. Even though I haven't gotten to play in games, I know I've gotten tremendously better in basketball, and the friendships I've built; my teammates over the last three years have been like brothers. I love the university, but it just came down to I really wanted to play my last two years, and hopefully I can do that at Northern."
Daum was recently named to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-American team after averaging 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Doyle said going against guys like that in practice and being coached by a staff led by Scott Nagy made him a better player.
"I love everything about SDSU," Doyle said. "At the end of the day, I just wanted to play a lot my last two years and now with the whole coaching change, I just thought it was a terrific time to leave and try finishing up my degree and basketball elsewhere."
Nagy ended a 21-year run with SDSU when he accepted the head coaching position at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio after the season. He won 410 games during his tenure and guided the Jackrabbits to three NCAA Tournaments in the last five seasons.
Doyle was already leaning toward transferring before Nagy's departure, but the fact that a whole new coaching staff would be coming in made his decision a little easier.
Northern State head coach Paul Sather and his staff recruited Doyle when he was coming out of high school. The Wolves were in his final three schools of SDSU and Western Illinois. That familiarity made it an easy decision when it came time to choose a new school.
"I love their coach, I love their university," Doyle said of Northern State. "I've kind of fallen in love with South Dakota, and I like the smaller town feel to it. I just felt they had the most to offer me."
Doyle will have two years of eligibility left and does not have to sit out a year with NCAA transfer rules. Athletes that move from the Division I to the Division II level are allowed to play right away.
Doyle knows nothing is guaranteed in Aberdeen either, but he's hopeful he can help out a Wolves program that finished 18-12 this past season.
"Nothing can ever be promised, but I'm really hoping I can step in and be a major contributor right away," he said.
Doyle might not have gotten the playing time he had hoped for at SDSU, but he lived a childhood dream by experiencing an NCAA Tournament game.
It was a memorable one, too. The Jackrabbits trailed Maryland by 18 in the second half on March 18. They rallied to get it to as close as two in the final minutes before falling just short in a 79-74 game.
"That was my dream since I was 5 is to play in the NCAA tournament," Doyle said. "Being able to accomplish that, I'm one of the few people in the world that can say I was able to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Knowing that just made me at peace with my decision to transfer because I got to accomplish everything I wanted."
The Jackrabbits went 69-32 during Doyle's three years in the program. That success is part of the many positives he'll take with him as he moves on to Northern State next season.
"We won two regular season conference championships and one postseason conference championship," Doyle said. "We won a game in the NIT. Just being able to be a part of that atmosphere at the NCAA Tournament; that was one of the best weeks of my life. That will be one of my most cherished memories for the rest of my life."
http://www.echopress.com/sports/4008...northern-state
Alexandria's Logan Doyle has no regrets about the three years he spent at South Dakota State University.
He had nothing but good things to say about the relationships he built and the things he learned in Brookings. But after his redshirt sophomore season this past winter, Doyle decided to transfer to Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota in an attempt to get more playing time at the Division II level.
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Doyle, a 6-foot-8-inch forward, played a total of 15 minutes this past season for a talented Jackrabbits team that went 26-8 and put a scare into Maryland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. He stuck behind a good friend and one of the best freshmen in the country at the same position in Mike Daum.Daum was recently named to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-American team after averaging 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Doyle said going against guys like that in practice and being coached by a staff led by Scott Nagy made him a better player.
"I love everything about SDSU," Doyle said. "At the end of the day, I just wanted to play a lot my last two years and now with the whole coaching change, I just thought it was a terrific time to leave and try finishing up my degree and basketball elsewhere."
Nagy ended a 21-year run with SDSU when he accepted the head coaching position at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio after the season. He won 410 games during his tenure and guided the Jackrabbits to three NCAA Tournaments in the last five seasons.
Doyle was already leaning toward transferring before Nagy's departure, but the fact that a whole new coaching staff would be coming in made his decision a little easier.
Northern State head coach Paul Sather and his staff recruited Doyle when he was coming out of high school. The Wolves were in his final three schools of SDSU and Western Illinois. That familiarity made it an easy decision when it came time to choose a new school.
"I love their coach, I love their university," Doyle said of Northern State. "I've kind of fallen in love with South Dakota, and I like the smaller town feel to it. I just felt they had the most to offer me."
Doyle will have two years of eligibility left and does not have to sit out a year with NCAA transfer rules. Athletes that move from the Division I to the Division II level are allowed to play right away.
Doyle knows nothing is guaranteed in Aberdeen either, but he's hopeful he can help out a Wolves program that finished 18-12 this past season.
"Nothing can ever be promised, but I'm really hoping I can step in and be a major contributor right away," he said.
Doyle might not have gotten the playing time he had hoped for at SDSU, but he lived a childhood dream by experiencing an NCAA Tournament game.
It was a memorable one, too. The Jackrabbits trailed Maryland by 18 in the second half on March 18. They rallied to get it to as close as two in the final minutes before falling just short in a 79-74 game.
"That was my dream since I was 5 is to play in the NCAA tournament," Doyle said. "Being able to accomplish that, I'm one of the few people in the world that can say I was able to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Knowing that just made me at peace with my decision to transfer because I got to accomplish everything I wanted."
The Jackrabbits went 69-32 during Doyle's three years in the program. That success is part of the many positives he'll take with him as he moves on to Northern State next season.
"We won two regular season conference championships and one postseason conference championship," Doyle said. "We won a game in the NIT. Just being able to be a part of that atmosphere at the NCAA Tournament; that was one of the best weeks of my life. That will be one of my most cherished memories for the rest of my life."
http://www.echopress.com/sports/4008...northern-state
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