Senior Hayden Doyle goes up for a three against Brandeis on Jan. 31. (Ella Giere | Photo Editor)

Senior Hayden Doyle has been an integral part of the WashU men’s basketball success this season, starting in all 24 games and the most minutes played of any player. He also leads the team in both field goals and 3-point shots made, with 158 and 62, respectively. This past weekend, Doyle and the team picked up two more important conference wins, defeating the University of Rochester 78-48 and No. 12 Emory University 85-75 to improve to a 9-4 conference record. He scored 10 points and had a team-high nine rebounds against Rochester, and racked up a team-high 22 points while shooting 50% from the 3-point line against Emory. Doyle sat down with Student Life to share his approach to the game, a reflection back on his four years of basketball, and his favorite hobbies.   

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Student Life (SL): Going back to the beginning, how did your journey with basketball get started?

Hayden Doyle (HD): My dad definitely probably put the ball in my hands. I played in a little church league, upward league. And then, from third grade on, I played on the same club team with a bunch of guys who are currently playing in college. So I kinda got lucky with a good coach and a good group of guys, and we stayed together for a while.

SL: Did you always think that basketball was going to be the thing you would do in college?

HD: Honestly, not really. Not when I was really young, at least. When I was really young, I liked baseball the best. And then I also liked football a lot. And then by seventh, eighth grade, I knew basketball was kinda where if I wanted to play in college, I probably wanted to play basketball.

SL: What did the recruitment and commitment process for WashU look like?

HD: So I was getting recruited primarily by Division II schools. It was kinda weird because Wisconsin has a really good Division III league, but I didn’t really get recruited by a lot of those schools. And I came to camp here going into my junior year of high school [in the] summer and loved it. I was between here and a Division II school in Michigan, and WashU was definitely the better fit, so I committed.

SL: Of course, this past weekend, you guys picked up a couple of big conference wins. What do you think were the keys to grabbing both of those games?

HD: Defense and rebounding. Defense and rebounding. We were really active on defense. We played really hard. And then finished it off by getting a lot of rebounds on the defensive side, but we also got a lot of offensive rebounds which makes everything easier. 

SL: Is there anything that Coach Juckem really emphasizes going into a game?

HD: Conversion defense, our transition defense always. That’s quintessential Juckem, conversion defense. And then other than that, running, getting out in transition on offense before their defense is set so we can get some easy buckets that way. Rebounding is always a huge emphasis. And then just playing hard and having fun.

SL: You’re a senior now. It’s your last year. It’s almost the end of the season. Do you have any goals for the rest of this season?

HD: I think, obviously, we’d love to make a deep run in March and in the tournament. For sure, that’s a goal. And, it’s kinda weird saying this at this point of the season, but you just gotta keep getting better too. I feel like we have been these past two, three weeks. We kinda had a rough patch and learned a lot from it and just kinda got back to what our identity is, and that’s really helped us. 

SL: And then looking back on the four years that you’ve had here, what are some goals that you came in with as a first-year or sophomore that you’ve achieved? 

HD: I think when I was a [first-year], I just wanted a chance to play, I think that was kinda what my goal was. So, just getting on the court and trying to help the team win as a [first-year] was my goal. And then I had a successful [first] year. … From there, it was just, ‘How can I develop as a leader and help other guys feel more comfortable and help us win as a team?’ And individually, all-conference, I guess. And now, definitely, by the end of my career, I always thought it was a long shot, but being All-American or something like that would be really cool.

SL: How do you think your relationship with basketball has changed over the past four years?

HD: I think when I was young in my college career, [first year] and sophomore year, I took everything home with me, and it would keep me up at night. 

SL: Like mistakes?

HD: Yeah. Mistakes and if I didn’t play well. But my relationship has changed in a sense of kinda not just defining myself with basketball, but with other things, and who I am as a person, how I’m treating people every day, how I’m pouring into my teammates and showing up with a good attitude. Just focusing on things that I can control and then letting everything else fall into place. Because basketball is hard, you know? Not every game is gonna be your best performance. And so trying not to overthink it or get in my own head. I think I’ve done a much better job my junior and senior year of just playing free and playing for my teammates.

SL: What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of basketball?

HD: Golfing, pickleball, just hanging out with friends, watching college basketball. I love watching college basketball. I’m a big Marquette fan. I’m from Milwaukee, and I grew up going to their games. I like Duke as well.

SL: Do you have a certain professional athlete you look up to?

HD: I like Steph Curry a lot. Tyler Kolek, if you’ve ever heard of him. He plays on the Knicks, but he played at Marquette. And I just really like the way he played basketball, how he played the game. His feel for the game, I really appreciated. His mentality: he played hard, was really competitive. 

SL: This is something we ask to every Athlete of the Week. Would you rather have fish for hands or have to adopt a child every time you hear “Bohemian Rhapsody”?

HD: I guess adopt a child. Because I don’t hear that very often. I’m also thinking I couldn’t really play basketball if I had fish for hands. I don’t know if I’m ready to be a dad, though. It doesn’t sound very fun right now.

2024-25 Athlete of the Week Tracker: Adopt a child: 2. Fish for hands: 3.