BIO: Adam Doyle was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Forestville basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Adam Doyle made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 22 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

In 2013, the 36ers secured NBL championship-winning coach Joey Wright, who took the team from two consecutive wooden spoons to the Grand Final against the Perth Wildcats. The team retained its core group of Aussie talent, including Daniel Johnson (19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds), who once again led the team in scoring and rebounding, along with Adam Gibson, Anthony Petrie, and Jason Cadee.

The 36ers also received a boost with Mitchell Creek and Luke Schenscher back on the court after both had their previous campaigns ended prematurely due to injury. Creek overcame a near career-ending Achilles injury, and Schenscher underwent elbow surgery. The club also added BJ Anthony (via New Zealand) and 2011 NBL MVP Gary Ervin (via Townsville) to pair with new import Jarrid Frye in the backcourt.

After Round 7 of the season, the 36ers, led by Ervin and Johnson, were sitting in second place on the NBL ladder with a 7–2 record, which also included a 5–0 run. This included the 36ers winning both of their games against the Breakers in Auckland, their first wins over the triple-defending champions since 2009. Adelaide also took down the undefeated Perth Wildcats (91–86) in front of 6,585 fans at the Adelaide Arena. Perth had been sitting on a 7-0 record prior to that loss in front of the largest Adelaide home crowd since Brett Maher’s last home game in 2009.

By December, Adelaide (9-4) had already eclipsed last season’s eight-win total.

In February, the 36ers released Jarrid Frye (8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) due to underwhelming play and an ankle injury keeping him off the court. With second-placed Adelaide eyeing a Grand Final berth, local guard Rhys Carter, who had been playing as an import in Sweden, was signed as his replacement.

The 36ers finished the regular season in second place (18-10), with Doyle appearing in just two games and scoring a total of two points.

The 36ers would face Melbourne in the semifinals, and with Gary Ervin (27 points and 7 assists) finishing the game as the high scorer, Adelaide claimed victory in game one (101-85). Game two would be played in Melbourne, where Tigers guard Chris Goulding (37 points) exploded in a game two win for the Tigers (98-87), evening the series (1-1). In game three, Adelaide responded by demolishing Melbourne (102-63), holding them to a 27-point half-time score and winning every quarter by 7 points or more.

The grand final would see second-ranked Adelaide face first-placed Perth with game one held in Perth. Wildcats star import James Ennis (30 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) would lead Perth in points, rebounds, and assists, resulting in Perth claiming the win (92-85) and taking a 1-0 series lead.

Game two would see 8,127 36ers fans (their largest crowd of the season) rally their team to an 89-84 win behind big games from Gary Ervin (23 points) and Adam Gibson (18 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists) to even the series (1-1).

13,498 of Perth’s ‘red army’ would show up to see the Wildcats defeat Adelaide and win their sixth NBL title. With James Ennis subdued by foul trouble, Perth’s most experienced duo, Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin, were relied on to pick up the slack. Redhage scored 10 of his 16 points in the first term to help his team settle into the contest, while Martin produced a superb defensive effort on 36ers star Gary Ervin, limiting the game two hero to just 4 points while adding 14 points and six rebounds of his own. Greg Hire (9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jermaine Beal (15 points) provided key contributions of their own to help Perth bury the demons of successive grand final defeats in the past two seasons.

Anthony Petrie (20 points) never stopped trying for the 36ers but lacked support from fellow starters Adam Gibson (8 points) and Daniel Johnson (9 points), both of whom had been influential in the first two games of the series.

Daniel Johnson won his third straight club MVP award and was also named to the All-NBL First Team.

2016/17
In the 2016 NBL off-season, the 36ers managed to retain superstar Jerome Randle as well as sign promising young prospects Anthony Drmic, the younger brother of former NBL player Frank Drmic, Sudanese-born local Majok Deng, and import forward/centre Eric Jacobsen. Also joining the club was NBA Draft prospect, 18-year-old high school star Terrance Ferguson from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ferguson, who chose to play as a professional in the NBL rather than commit to playing college basketball, was the test case that led to the NBL creating the Next Stars Program.

While most experts predicted the young and relatively inexperienced 36ers to finish last, by mid-season, they had emerged as the team to beat. Early season injuries to captain Mitch Creek (ankle) and Daniel Johnson (hamstring) saw Adelaide start the season slowly (3-6), the low point being a brutal loss to Brisbane (87-105) in Round 7 that resulted in them dropping to the bottom of the ladder. With a healthy roster, Adelaide would do a 180 and defeat Brisbane (101-83) comfortably in the very next game and proceed to reel off an eight-game winning streak. By Round 11, they had gone from last place to first. By Round 16, they had won 14 of their last 15 games and locked in first place with three more rounds to go. In fact, they were so far ahead of the rest of the league that even with the 36ers losing their final four games of the regular season, they still finished two games ahead of the rest of the competition, where they would finish the regular season (17-11).

Sobey (15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals), in his second year in Adelaide, made the most of Creek’s absence, establishing himself as a player worthy of major minutes. Sobey moved into the starting lineup in Creek’s absence and tripled his scoring numbers from last season (4 points in 10 minutes per game) and remained in the starting lineup even after Creek’s return. Sobey’s improvement earned him a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and the league’s Most Improved Player award. Randle (21.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists), who led the team in scoring, was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player, becoming the second Adelaide player to ever win the award (Mark Davis being the other).

Additionally, Daniel Johnson (15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game) was also selected to the All-NBL First Team, Mitch Creek (12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) continued to improve, and Doyle would average 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

Adelaide faced fourth-placed Illawarra in the semifinals, and although they easily accounted for them in game one (93-78) thanks to an MVP-caliber performance from Randle (26 points and 4 assists), the Hawks would cause a huge upset, winning games two (100–94) and three (106-98) to end the 36ers’ season prematurely.

2017/18
With the 36ers’ roster proving it had what it takes to contend for the championship, coach Joey Wright locked in all eight Australian players (Mitch Creek, Nathan Sobey, Daniel Johnson, Matthew Hodgson, Brendan Teys, Majok Deng, Anthony Drmic, and Adam Doyle) and looked to go one step further. One notable absence from the roster was star US import Jerome Randle, who reportedly had asked for $300k per season, which was far outside what Adelaide or other NBL teams were able to pay. Randle then chose to play in Turkey with Bahçeşehir instead of staying in Adelaide, and the team replaced him with experienced guard Shannon Shorter.

Philadelphian shooting guard Ramone Moore (via Melbourne) and athletic forward Ronald Roberts were signed as the team’s other two imports, completing the roster.

In mid-September 2017, the 36ers traveled to Singapore in the pre-season to compete in the Merlion Cup. The team remained undefeated throughout the tournament and defeated the Shanghai Sharks in the final to be crowned the 2017 Merlion Cup Champions.

Import woes began early in the season for Adelaide. It started with Ronald Roberts, who was released a week before the season began, with the team citing the big man had suffered a ‘knee injury,’ although Roberts responded via Twitter, stating he was ‘100 percent fine’. Veteran forward Alan Wiggins was signed as a replacement for Roberts but suffered a broken arm in his NBL debut against the Sydney Kings. With Wiggins requiring surgery and set to miss eight weeks, the team signed former Sydney Kings star Josh Childress.

Despite the import roller-coaster, the Sixers impressed on the road early but struggled to string consistent performances together, winning half of their first 16 games. It was around this time Randle, who had left Turkey claiming he hadn’t been paid his salary on time, enquired about returning to the 36ers, but with the team already finalized, Randle instead signed with the Sydney Kings as a replacement for import guard Travis Leslie.

Injuries crippled the 36ers over the next month. Both Creek, who was ruled out for three weeks on December 12, 2017, after tearing a small muscle from the bone in his hamstring, and then Drmic (6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds), after a medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee, would spend the next three weeks on the sidelines.

A disappointing 19-point loss against the Cairns Taipans at home on Christmas Eve summed up the Sixers’ start to the season. This loss, however, seemed to be the turning point for the Sixers, who went on to win 10 of their last 12 games, including seven in a row, and booked themselves a second spot on the ladder at the end of the regular season.

Doyle finished with averages of 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.

Adelaide then easily accounted for Perth in the semifinals, with a record-breaking win in Game 1 and a narrow victory in Game 2 led by Josh Childress that propelled them into the Grand Final against Melbourne.

United took Game 1 after Casper Ware’s strong start, despite his injury. Adelaide evened the series in Game 2 but lost Childress to injury. Game 3 saw Adelaide’s Sobey ejected after a clash with Prather, and Melbourne narrowly won. Adelaide bounced back in Game 4, but United clinched the title in Game 5, with Goulding named Finals MVP.

2018/19
After narrowly missing out on the NBL championship the previous season, Adelaide was forced into a rebuilding mode with the departure of several key players, most notably second-leading scorer Mitch Creek. Creek left to pursue his NBA dream after a protracted negotiation between Adelaide and Basketball Australia.

During the NBL 2018 off-season, Creek was granted team approval to play in Germany with the understanding that he would return to the 36ers for the 2018/19 season. However, his strong performances in Germany caught the attention of the Brooklyn Nets, who signed him to their G-League team. The 36ers then filed an injunction to prevent Basketball Australia from approving Creek’s NBA deal without compensation, but after some initial backlash, a resolution was reached, allowing Creek to pursue his NBA aspirations.

Other departures included Shannon Shorter (to Japan), Josh Childress (retired), and Matthew Hodgson (to Brisbane). To address these roster gaps, Adelaide signed import Jacob Wiley (via Germany) to replace Creek and added point guard Adris De León to assist in scoring and playmaking duties. Rising stars Harry Froling and Jack McVeigh were also signed straight out of college, injecting youthful energy into the team.

Despite the roster shakeup, Adelaide retained key players from the previous season, including Nathan Sobey, Majok Deng, Adam Doyle, Brendan Teys, and import Ramone Moore. Leading scorer Daniel Johnson also returned and took over as team captain, replacing the departing Creek.

Adelaide began the season with a loss to Perth (91–99) at home in Round 1. However, they bounced back with a win against the Sydney Kings (94–83) on the road in their next game. In Round 3, Sobey delivered one of the standout moments of the season when he recorded a triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists) in the 36ers’ win over Cairns (91–83).

Adelaide then fell into a string of four consecutive losses starting the following game with a loss to New Zealand (114–94), and culminating in a loss to Brisbane (93–90) in Round 4. Key injuries, including a calf injury to Ramone Moore, further disrupted their momentum. An ultimatum was then delivered to De León that if the team couldn’t turn things around with a win over Sydney in their next game, they would look at rejigging the team’s roster.

Despite starting and putting up 11 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 25 minutes, the 36ers were unable to get the win, suffering a 12 points loss to the Kings, their fourth in a row. De León (7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists) was released, and former Illawarra import Demitrius Conger was signed as his replacement. With Moore still unable to take the court, Adelaide also signed Shaun Bruce, who had been unsigned after three seasons in Cairns, who then played out the remaining games of the 36ers season.

Adelaide’s inconsistency continued, after winning back-to-back games against Cairns (109–95) and Illawarra (120–109) in Round 7, the 36ers lost a nail-biter to Illawarra at home (86–87). A victory over Brisbane (101–91) in Round 9 was followed by another defeat to Illawarra (90–93). The 36ers did finally find some rhythm in Round 14, winning four consecutive games, including a crucial victory over Perth (97–84) and a dominant win against Sydney (119–99). Unfortunately, their inconsistency returned, with losses to Melbourne (114–91) in Round 16 and Brisbane (98–87 OT) in Round 17. These critical losses ultimately affected their playoff chances.

Adam Doyle (3.1 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) delivered a steady season for Adelaide, proving to be a valuable contributor. His standout performances included 9 points and 3 steals in a win against Illawarra (109–95) (9 Dec 2018), as well as 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in a victory over Sydney (19 Jan 2019). Doyle’s energy and effort off the bench played a key role in Adelaide’s rotation.

Adelaide struggled with inconsistency throughout the season, marked by injuries and roster changes. The 36ers managed to find some rhythm in Round 14, winning four consecutive games, including a crucial victory over Perth (97–84) and a dominant win against Sydney (119–99). Unfortunately, their inconsistency returned, with Melbourne handing Adelaide their worst loss of the season in Round 16 (114–91), and Brisbane defeating them in overtime in Round 17 (98–87 OT).

Alongside Doyle, Daniel Johnson (17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) and Nathan Sobey (16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) were both named to the All-NBL Second Team. Other key players included Jacob Wiley (12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1 assist), Demitrius Conger (11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), Anthony Drmic (9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and Harry Froling (7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds) who took home the NBL Rookie of the Year award.

Adelaide hovered between fourth and fifth place for most of the second half of the season, before finishing equal with Brisbane at 14-14. However, the Bullets advanced to the playoffs due to a higher points percentage, bringing Adelaide’s season to an end in fifth place. Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs, Doyle’s season was a strong personal showing, and he remained a key part of the 36ers’ plans moving forward.

Adam Doyle played four seasons the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 55 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.