Phillip McDonald

Phillip McDonald
College University of New Mexico
Conference Mountain West
Sport Basketball
Position Shooting Guard
Jersey # 23
Class Senior
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Nationality American
Born July 25, 1989 (1989-07-25) (age 22)
Cypress, Texas
High school Cypress Springs High School

Phillip McDonald (born July 25, 1989) is an American college basketball player for the New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team. Born in Cypress, Texas, McDonald was the starting shooting guard for the Lobos the first three years he has played, and provided experience and depth off the bench for the Lobos his senior year.

Contents

High School

McDonald attended Cypress Springs High School in Cypress, Texas, and garnered a number of accolades during his four year career. During his senior year for the Panthers, McDonald led Cypress Springs to a 32-7 record while averaging 19 points on route to being named the 17-5A District Most Valuable Player.[1][2] Through his recruiting process, McDonald was rated a four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, and was ranked the 20th and 19th best shooting guard in the nation, respectively.[3][4] ESPN pegged McDonald as the tenth best shooting guard nationally, enough to gain a 96 rating (out of 100) and a place in the ESPNU 100.[5] After McDonald signed in late 2007, Rivals.com named McDonald the top shooting guard signee in the Mountain West Conference.[6]

College

Freshman Year, 2008-2009

On September 12, 2007,[3] McDonald signed with Steve Alford's New Mexico Lobos basketball team, beating out other schools like Oregon, Kansas, Connecticut and Oklahoma.[7][8] McDonald was the starting shooting guard, and posted the most starts by a Lobos freshman since Rob Robbins started 36 in 1987-1988.[1] He posted double-digit scoring eleven times,[1] including a double-double in a win against Grambling St. and a pair of seventeen-point performances against Texas Tech and San Diego State.

Games Played Games Started Minutes/Game Points/Game Rebounds/Game Assists/Game Field Goal Percentage 3pt. Field Goal Percentage Free Throw Percentage
33 33 20.4 7.3 3.1 1.0 44.4% 36.6% 65.3%

Sophomore Year, 2009-2010

Main article: 2009–10 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

Building off a solid freshman campaign, McDonald increased his production and impact as the Lobos marched into the Top 25. McDonald ranked sixth in the Mountain West Conference in three-point shooting through the entire year,[9] and fourth in the conference during conference play.[1] McDonald's premier sophomore games included posting a career high in points (27) in a 97-87 win over in-state rival New Mexico State, a 15-point performance in a 86-78 win over 25th-ranked Cal, and a 25-point outburst in a 73-50 victory over Air Force. At season's end, McDonald's work was rewarded, as he was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West.[10]

Games Played Games Started Minutes/Game Points/Game Rebounds/Game Assists/Game Field Goal Percentage 3pt. Field Goal Percentage Free Throw Percentage
35 35 27.5 10.4 3.1 0.7 43.0% 39.6% 69.1%

Junior Year, 2010-2011

Main article: 2010–11 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

Still poised to be a big part of the Lobos moving into the 2010-2011 season, McDonald was forced to miss the first three games of the season after suffering an elbow injury in a exhibition game to Manchester.[11] While it slightly hindered him, McDonald still soldiered through the season.[1] In a game versus New Mexico State, McDonald pulled down his second career double-double, notching 18 points to go with 10 boards. In a contest against Colorado State, McDonald tied a career high in points, as he tallied 27 points off the bench. Later in the season, McDonald posted 20 points in a 71-46 victory over TCU. His most celebrated junior moment came when New Mexico routed third-ranked BYU in Provo, as McDonald posted 26 points on 5-8 shooting from behind the arc.[12]

Games Played Games Started Minutes/Game Points/Game Rebounds/Game Assists/Game Field Goal Percentage 3pt. Field Goal Percentage Free Throw Percentage
32 30 27.8 10.9 4.3 1.1 40.4% 32.5% 76.6%

Senior Year, 2011-2012

Main article: 2010–11 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

With the emergence of teammate Tony Snell as a legitimate all-around small forward and continual injury problems[13], McDonald opened the season as a reserve, marking his last season as the only season he was not a starter for the majority of the season. Nonetheless, McDonald had a few shining games, including an 18-point effort in 19 minutes off the bench against UMKC.

Games Played Games Started Minutes/Game Points/Game Rebounds/Game Assists/Game Field Goal Percentage 3pt. Field Goal Percentage Free Throw Percentage
11 1 12.0 4.9 1.5 0.6 41.3% 46.7% 100.0%

Personal Life

Phillip is married to Michaela McDonald of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The two have an infant son, Jayden McDonald born December 29, 2010.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Player Bio: Phillip McDonald - University of New Mexico Official Athletic Site". GoLobos.com. http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/mcdonald_phillip00.html. 
  2. ^ "Coaches release all-district boys basketball team". Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. March 11, 2008. http://www.cfisd.net/newsmedia/press/2008/0311basketball.htm. 
  3. ^ a b "Phillip McDonald Player Profile, Stats, and recruiting information on Yahoo! Sports". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/newmexico/basketball/recruiting/player-Phillip-McDonald-46582;_ylt=AnD8BAyWyvDAYa9pitsOdBmXs5B4. 
  4. ^ "Scout.com: Phillip McDonald Profile". Scout.com. http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=3140039. 
  5. ^ "Phillip McDonald 2008 Basketball Recruiting Profile - ESPN". ESPN.com. http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/player?id=52077&_slug_=phillip-mcdonald&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2fplayer%3fid%3d52077%26_slug_%3dphillip-mcdonald. 
  6. ^ "Top Dogs: Best at each position". Rivals.com. November 14, 2007. http://newmexico.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=739345. 
  7. ^ "Alford lands two new commitments at New Mexico". USA Today. September 28, 2007. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/recruiting/basketball/national/2007-09-19-basketball.htm. 
  8. ^ "University of New Mexico basketball recruits get heavy with the hype". Albuquerque Tribune. November 14, 2007. http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/nov/14/mens-basketball-unm-recruits-expected-sign-today/. 
  9. ^ "Mountain West Team Scoring Per Game Statistics - 2009-10". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/conferences/statistics/player/_/id/44/stat/scoring-per-game/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct/year/2010/mountain-west-conference. 
  10. ^ "Mountain West Conference Announces 2009-10 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards". The Mountain West Conference Official Athletic Site. March 8, 2010. http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030810aac.html. 
  11. ^ "Injury puts player on hold". New Mexico Daily Lobo. November 12, 2010. http://www.dailylobo.com/index.php/article/2010/11/injury_puts_player_on_hold. 
  12. ^ "McDonald's 26 lifts New Mexico past No. 3 BYU". USA Today. March 3, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/mwest/2011-03-03-new-mexico-byu_N.htm. 
  13. ^ "McDonald scores 18 off the bench as New Mexico beats UMKC 87-62". Associated Press. December 22, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/mcdonald-scores-18-off-the-bench-as-new-mexico-beats-umkc-87-62/2011/12/22/gIQAbqIhCP_story.html. 

External links