The University of Mississippi Athletics
Stepping Up To The Line
12/19/2006 | Men's Basketball
By Elizabeth Zaremba
Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant
Stepping to the line, calm and collected, Bam Doyne prepares for another free-throw attempt. He is focused, and as the ball goes through the net, he listens as the home crowd once again yells for him, "Viva la Bam!"
The senior guard is now accustomed to hearing these words, as he has become a leader for the Rebels, particularly from the free throw line. In fact, the Little Rock native is second in the SEC, knocking down 85 percent of his attempts.
In the 2005-06 season, Doyne made a team-high 73.6 percent of his shots at the charity stripe, and made key free throws in victories against South Carolina, Arkansas State, and Arkansas.
With his clutch shots and calmness, Doyne emerged as one of the top weapons for the Ole Miss basketball team last year. Starting 26 of the Rebels 30 games his junior year, Doyne ranked second on the team in assists and steals and third in scoring and rebounding. He had 12 double-figure games, and led the team in scoring in six outings last season, with his 24 points against Arkansas State being a career high.
His leadership on and off the court was vital as the Rebels began this season under new head coach, Andy Kennedy.
"Coach Kennedy is a great guy who knows his stuff," Doyne said, "He's a good man."
So far this year, Doyne has truly embraced his role as a leader, averaging 18 points per game and topping the team in scoring six times. He received All-Tournament honors at the Hispanic College Fund Classic in Connecticut, as he helped the Rebels to a second place finish, and was named MVP of the Coors Classic after dropping a career-high 28 points on South Alabama.
Doyne's rise to the Rebel forefront occurred after two years of limited action off the bench. During his freshman and sophomore campaigns combined in the Red and Blue, he averaged 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game.
Doyne took his game to a new level in the summer of 2005, as he played in Germany for SCORE International and Phil Waldrep Ministries International.
"They asked a couple of other guys on the team to participate," Doyne said, "When they couldn't go for whatever reason, I said I would go."
He scored 16 points to help his team win the Tubingen Invitational, and he also participated in the Nation's Cup Tournament.
"It was a fun thing to do," Doyne said, "It was a small thing, nothing like the Nike camps, but overall it was a nice experience."
Doyne has also traveled internationally, but for educational reasons. This past summer, the African-American Studies major spent a month studying abroad in Costa Rica.
"I studied Spanish there, and I enjoyed it for a while," said Doyne.
Staying focused on the hardwood and in the classroom, Doyne works hard to balance his time as a student-athlete. With SEC play opening next month, he knows he will need to step up in order to help the Rebels succeed.
"Our goal is to win," Doyne said, "Just to win."
Taking things one game at a time with his patient attitude, Doyne hopes to help the Rebels do just that, win.