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UNM Men's Basketball: McDonald commits to the Lobos
Houston area hoops star spurns Oregon, Kansas, Oklahoma and Connecticut
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Houston hoops star Phillip McDonald says he is going to be a Lobo.
McDonald, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound shooting guard entering his senior season at Cypress Springs High, orally committed to the University of New Mexico men's basketball program late tonight. He chose the Lobos over Oregon, Kansas, Oklahoma and Connecticut.
"The reason I made this decision is because of the coaches," McDonald said in a phone interview with the Tribune. "Coach (Steve) Alford has been recruiting me for a long time and he has done the things I want to do as a player."
McDonald also felt a strong connection with the Lobos' assistant coaches.
He said assistant coach Craig Neal's NBA coaching experience was a big plus. He also felt comfortable with assistant Chris Walker, who previously coached McDonald's Amateur Athletic Union team.
"I just knew in my heart that New Mexico was the right place for me, and I wanted to be a Lobo," McDonald said.
McDonald's commitment is a major coupe for Alford, who is in his first year with the Lobos.
McDonald is widely considered the type of player who could elevate a program, especially one of UNM's size. He is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Rivals ranked him the 87th best senior in the country, while Scout lists him as the 18th best shooting guard.
The UNM coaching staff sold McDonald's family on giving him a top-notch education and helping him become a man. The coaches got McDonald's attention by promising to make him a star on the basketball court.
"I talked to a lot of coaches and no one else told me I would be the face of their program," McDonald said. "It was special that these coaches believed in me."
McDonald will join a lot of friends on the Lobos roster, yet another reason he picked UNM.
Isaiah Rusher and Will Brown, 6-foot-9 forwards and teammates on McDonald's AAU T-Mac All-Stars team, already orally committed to UNM.
McDonald also forged a fast friendship with Curtis Dennis, a 6-foot-4 guard who happened to take his official visit with McDonald during the weekend. Dennis, who already committed to the Lobos, kept McDonald laughing but also lobbied hard for him to join the team.
"I know all the guys who are going to be coming here, and I feel like we're going to be great together," McDonald said. "We're going to tear up the Mountain West Conference."
Alford has earned commitments from other high-profile recruits, but they haven't found their way to UNM.
McDonald, easily the biggest star Alford has landed, said he won't be changing his mind.
"I'm so happy to be done with the recruiting thing, and I'm not changing my mind about it," he said. "I'm a Lobo."
