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04/23/2023 07:14 AMWhile truly making the sport of basketball his own game, Aidan Doyle has crafted an added layer of competitive fire on the court–paving the way for him to be an emerging star for the Hand boys’ basketball team.
The junior point guard was the first member of his family to lace up his shoes in the lane with hoops. Aidan additionally played baseball up until this year, foregoing the diamond to focus more on the hardwood.
This past winter, Aidan was a key sixth man for the Tigers as they returned to both the SCC and state tournament, winning a contest in each bracket, after entering the year as the reigning Division III state champions. He sported stats of seven points per game and shot a team-tops 41% from three-point range to help Hand finish 14-10 overall.
He additionally won the squad’s Team Hustle Award while netting a season-best 18 points in the team’s thrilling 94-92 double-overtime victory over Cross on Feb. 14 to clinch the program’s first SCC Oronoque Division title since 2005.
“Because I was the first basketball player in my family, I kind of had to do it on my own,” says Aidan. “When I played in the West Haven Rec League when I was younger, I won titles there, which fueled me. I also had some experience in AAU as well. I am also a competitive person; I always want to win, and I just fell in love with basketball.”
As some would believe that competing within the guard depth chart alongside sophomore teammate Chase Geremia to be a deterrent, Aidan is always optimistic and saw it as a positive–pushing him to be his best for the betterment of the squad.
“It was tough playing behind Chase, but I have learned a lot from him, and he is a phenomenal athlete,” says Aidan. “I am all about doing anything I can to help my team win. I love playing with teammates and playing for a great coach [Jimmy Economopoulos] who has a lot of trust in me. Being a point guard, you are like a floor general out there, so you have to have mental toughness, especially in late-game moments.”
After dealing with the outside oddities of playing through the pandemic, Aidan saw first-hand what a championship club is made of, yet knowing there would be several senior departures from that title-touting team, he took it upon himself to raise his game another level throughout summer training.
“My freshman year was the COVID year, and so playing without fans in the stands and having masks on was tough,” Aidan says. “I dressed for varsity last season when we won states, but I knew last offseason that I had to dig deep and focus after we graduated players from that team. Then this past year, I earned more playing time and my role expanded.”
On the floor, Aidan adores taking on the Tigers’ top assignment defensively on a nightly basis. He further details that it is all in one’s head when it comes to developing one’s abilities to get any job done.
“Defensively, I have had to guard the best players on the other teams, which I love,” says Aidan. “For me, I have been building up confidence in myself for my offense and defense. I am not the biggest guy out there, but I will not back down from anything. Knowing my teammates trust and support me is huge. I also developed my three-point shot; I really took off with it the final seven or eight games this year.”
The bullseye was consistently hovering over Hand all winter long, which comes with the territory any time a team adds another banner to the gymnasium. But thanks to cohesion and chemistry all throughout the squad, the Tigers full-on embraced the expectations.
“We certainly had pressure this year as the defending state champions,” says Aidan. “Losing to St. Bernard early in the year after we beat them in states the previous season was an eye opener. But we had good practices and team events. We all jelled and supported each other, even through illnesses and injuries. It was really a brotherhood.”
Economopoulos adores Aidan for his durability despite his stature on the floor, while having a workhorse mentality and doing the yeoman’s work regardless of what juncture he injects himself into in the game. He adds that Aidan also never forgets the top priority in the team.
“Aidan was a key member of our team this year, as he was our sixth man,” says Economopoulos. “He was usually one of the smallest players on the floor, but he was also one of the hardest working and toughest guys. He threw his body around and was not afraid of guarding bigger players. He pushed teammates every day to be better, and he exemplifies what an unselfish, team-first player looks like. He has only scratched the surface of his potential, and we can’t wait to see what he can continue to accomplish next year.”
After ascending to being a top man off the Hand bench as a junior, Aidan is eager to move up another level as a key starter and leader next campaign for an always critical senior season. Even through all of those targets on the floor, he knows he has to hit the hoops and the books hard.
“Academically, I just keep trying to stay on top of every assignment for school,” says Aidan. “I want to grow as a player and a student in general. I have a big year up ahead with attending college as a main goal for myself.”