Many great women’s basketball players have thrilled crowds and frustrated opponents in the history of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). None of them have done it more, or better, than Saadia Doyle.
 
The Atlanta, Ga., native was a two-sport star at Columbia High School but was basically ignored in recruiting. She was actually discovered by former Howard University coach Cathy Parson at a volleyball match. 
 
"The reason I signed was because I liked the fact that here were people there at Howard who looked like me and who I could relate to," Doyle said in 2013. "The University has a rich history in academics and I liked the feel. It felt homey; it wasn't too small or too large. A place where I could grow and feel comfortable." 
 
She signed with Howard in the fall of 2008, but by the time she arrived she had suffered a knee injury and Parson was no longer around. Doyle ended up redshirting as a freshman, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 
 
"After looking at it, I decided that I would make the best out of the situation," Doyle said. "I worked hard during my rehab sessions and by the spring I was able to work out with the team. I had already used the year sitting out to scout the team and get a feel for what they do and how I could fit in. I knew it would be a hard transition, going from high school to having the injury and trying to fit in. But all I wanted was a chance to prove myself. I kept telling myself that I was not going to rush anything and to just work hard and take advantage of the chance when it presented itself."
 
When Doyle finally got her chance, she made the most of it. Doyle hit the ground running during the 2009-10 season, finishing 14th in the country in rebounding and averaging 16.6 points per game in taking home MEAC Rookie of The Year honors.
 
Fortunately for Howard (and unfortunately for the rest of the league), she only got better in her final three years in the program. She averaged 18.4 points per game as a sophomore, helping Howard to the first of three consecutive MEAC title game appearances. She followed that up with 17.1 ppg during the 2011-12 season before saving her best for last as a senior during the 2012-13 campaign. 
 
“I wanted to be a part of the legacy that is Howard, but in a way create my own, leave my footprint when it comes to basketball,” Doyle told The Washington Post in 2013. “I feel like I had a lot to do with [Howard’s resurgence], not just as a player on the court, but off the court when we do our preseason conditioning, pushing my teammates and having them to push me, so I feel like they’re just as much responsible for the success we’ve had as I am.”
 
Doyle did all that and then some. She averaged 20.3 points per game as a senior, including a scorching 36-point performance against a top-10 Penn State squad and 32 points against Temple. She scored 20 or more points 17 times that season en route to becoming the MEAC’s all-time leading scorer with 2,310 career points.
 
Doyle is also a top-10 rebounder in MEAC history as well.
 
Her former coach, Niki Reid Geckeler, had no issue singing her praises — not only for her talent — but also for her effort. 
 
"Her ability to score and rebound is phenomenal,” Reid Geckeler said in 2013. “She has a great work ethic that should be an example to young players as to how hard work pays off."
 
Less than a decade after her record-setting career at Howard came to an end, Doyle is now immortalized in the MEAC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022.