Phillip McDonald is an American college basketball player for the New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team. Born in Cypress, Texas

Cypress, Texas

Cypress is an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas, United States located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S...

, McDonald has been the starting shooting guard

Shooting guard

The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

 for the Lobos all three years he has played, and is being counted on for senior leadership during his senior year.

High School

McDonald attended Cypress Springs High School

Cypress Springs High School

-About Cypress Springs:Cypress Springs High School, CSHS,or more knowingly as Cy-Springs is located at 7909 Fry Road, in Cypress, an unincorporated community in Harris County, Texas, with a ZIP code of 77433....

 in Cypress, Texas

Cypress, Texas

Cypress is an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas, United States located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S...

, 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. 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. 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. After McDonald signed in late 2007, Rivals.com named McDonald the top shooting guard signee in the Mountain West Conference.

Freshman Year, 2008-2009

On September 12, 2007, McDonald signed with Steve Alford

Steve Alford

Stephen Todd Alford is a retired American basketball player and the current head coach of the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team...

's New Mexico Lobos basketball team, beating out other schools like Oregon

Oregon Ducks men's basketball

Oregon Ducks men’s college basketball is an intercollegiate basketball program that competes in the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, representing the University of Oregon. The Ducks play their home games at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon, then coached by Howard Hobson, won...

, Kansas, Connecticut

Connecticut Huskies men's basketball

The Connecticut Huskies is the name of the men's college basketball team representing the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut, USA. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...

 and Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball

-1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980...

. McDonald was the starting shooting guard, and posted the most starts by a Lobos freshman since Rob Robbins started 36 in 1987-1988. He posted double-digit scoring eleven times, 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

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

Mountain West Conference

The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...

 in three-point shooting through the entire year, and fourth in the conference during conference play. 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.

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

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. While it slightly hindered him, McDonald still soldiered through the season. 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.

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%

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.

External links

• SportsCenter Top Ten, February 9, 2011