Benet Academy retires Kathleen Doyle’s jersey

On Jan. 13, Benet Academy in Lisle retired Kathleen Doyle’s basketball jersey while she was surrounded by teammates, coaches, and family.

Doyle, Class of 2016, was a four-year starter for the Redwings, and led them to back-to-back IHSA Class 4A state championships in 2015 and 2016. She was all conference three times and named ESCC Player of the Year her senior year.

As a junior, Doyle was second team AP all state, first team IBCA all state. As a senior she was first team All-State by both AP and IBCA and was named Miss Basketball for the state of Illinois.

At the University of Iowa, Doyle was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team in 2017, was a three time all Big Ten selection in 2018, 2019, 2020 and named Big Ten Player of the Year her senior year. She also won a silver medal representing the USA at the 2019 Pan American game, and was drafted by the Indiana Fever with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft.

Redwing coach Joe Kilbride had this to say about his star player: “Kathleen was a joy to coach. She had great stats, but she was never about that; she was always and only about winning. On the court, back-to-back state championships is her legacy. Off the court, she was a role model for young girls and an exemplary representative of Benet in every possible sense.”

Doyle summed up the day with the following thought: “I am beyond honored to have my jersey retired at Benet. It’s a place that has been like a second home to my family and me for so many years. Having my jersey retired is so much bigger than just me and that’s why I love basketball. It’s a team game that takes a whole group of people to buy into each other and work hard together to achieve their goals. My jersey isn’t hanging up in the gym because of me, it’s because of the amazing people that I was and am blessed to have around me.”

Doyle is currently passing her basketball knowledge on to the next generation of Redwings as an assistant coach for the boys varsity basketball team.

Benet Academy, founded in 1837, is an independent Catholic, college preparatory high school in the Benedictine tradition. Its mission is to provide a disciplined educational environment that fosters the on-going religious, intellectual and social development of its students.