United reload: Doyle first import domino in title chase

After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Melbourne United have added star guard Milton Doyle to help them go one better in NBL26.

The NBL24 champion has signed a one-year deal with the club, having spent the last three seasons with the Tasmania JackJumpers.

“I’m very excited, it’s a new journey for me,” Doyle told Melbourne United Media.

“Playing against Melbourne throughout my career in the NBL has been great, a lot of rivalries going on, so getting the chance to play with these guys that I’ve been going against is going to be fun.

“I knew I wanted to be in the NBL with a team that makes a push every season to go deep in the playoffs, that shows professionalism, grind and has a winning mentality. Melbourne has all of that, so it was exciting to get a call.

“You can see it in the way the team is structured, how they play, the way Dean (Vickerman) coaches. I think I can fit right in within that type of system.”

Doyle made 96 appearances with Tasmania, averaging 15.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

He was an All-NBL First Team member in NBL23 and an All-NBL Second Team member in NBL24.

“This was the first move that we wanted to make of the three imports and I think it has the ability to shape how we go with the other two,” Vickerman said.

“What we saw in Milton was someone who has been in our league, understands it well and has been a top player with the ability to close games as well as anyone.

“I think having him and CG (Chris Goulding) on the floor down the stretch of games is going to present opponents with a big problem. Then there’s the elite IQ that he possesses. I think he can act as another coach on the floor for us during games.

“We’re seeing it right now in Puerto Rico. He’s got the ball in his hands and the assist numbers have been great.

“Playing with talent around him, he’s making people better, and that is a trait I think he shares with some of the greatest imports to have played in this league. He can lift everyone around him, but then can own the game in the biggest moments.”

Doyle joins Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, Finn Delany, Tanner Krebs, Kyle Bowen, Fabijan Krslovic, Tom Wilson and Dash Daniels as rostered players for the NBL26 season.

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