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2016-17 Preview: MacDonald brings more versatility, leadership to Penn

10/14/2016, 11:30am EDT
By Austin Lederman

Matt MacDonald (above) will suit up for Penn this year after transferring in from Fairleigh Dickinson. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Austin Lederman (@AustinLederman)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2016-17 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 11. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)

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When Penn basketball head coach Steve Donahue blew his whistle at a recent practice and told his players holding basketballs to sprint to the opposite sideline, place the balls on the rack, and run back, Matt MacDonald was the first player to return.

This wouldn’t come across as a shock if you were to speak with MacDonald for just five minutes. One quickly develops an understanding of the type of player and person he is.

“Just a guy who plays the right way,” MacDonald said. “Everything I do I just try to put the team before myself. Just someone who plays the right way and I think we have a chance to be pretty good this year. Just trying to get better every day.”

How MacDonald described his game is why Donahue made him a priority when he took over the coaching reigns a little more than a year ago. It’s these qualities that made MacDonald the first transfer the Quakers have added in nearly 15 years.

Because of that transfer status, MacDonald hasn’t played in a real basketball game in over a year and a half due to NCAA regulations. He admitted a season without suiting up with his “brothers” was difficult, but he used the time he shared with them in practice to push his teammates.

“It was tough,” MacDonald said. “You really can’t prepare for it mentally. You just kind of have to take it in stride. The two things I tried to focus on were first just try to help the team as much I could even sitting out. Just in practice everyday, just try to make these guys better. Any way that I could help them out.”

MacDonald’s resume is that of someone who will come in and not just perform well on the court, but has leadership ability as well. He was elected a captain at his former school, Fairleigh Dickinson, as a sophomore for the 2014-15 season.

The Buffalo, N.Y. native averaged 8.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg in 29.9 mpg over his two seasons at FDU. He started 59 of 60 games and shot 38.8 percent overall and 33.8 percent from 3-point range.

As hard as MacDonald pushed his teammates last season, he worked just as much to develop as a player.

“Just personally, just try to work on every aspect of my game,” MacDonald said. “I feel like you can always get better no matter who you are as a player, so just try to work on pretty much every part of my game and just get better overall.”

At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, MacDonald has the size to play multiple positions, something he alluded to. He’s a shooter at heart, but feels capable to do much more. With the versatility that MacDonald hopes to bring, he and his coach haven’t had any specific conversations about roles.

“I think we’re still kind of early on in practice,” MacDonald said. “We’ve only had about six or seven practices. We’re just trying to get better every day. I think roles will get defined as we get later on towards the end of October. I think we’re just all at a point now where it’s just practice. It’s almost like training camp where you’re just trying to get better every day. There’s no real games to look forward to. It’s just focused on getting better each and every day.”

Each practice is crucial for this young Quakers squad: out of the 19 players on the roster, 11 are underclassmen. Some of the older players haven’t gotten much run the past few years. There’s a total of nine players on the roster that have never played in an Ivy League game, including six freshmen.

Only two seniors are on the team. Matt Howard, one of those seniors, started every game last season and was second on the team in scoring (12.3/game) and rebounding (5.7/game). He, along with the junior MacDonald, have taken it upon themselves to be active leaders.

“I think in particular Matt MacDonald and Matt Howard [have been veteran leaders],” Donahue said. “They’ve done a very good job, even since last spring really trying to - now knowing what we’re about and how we’ve got to go about our business on and off the court. I think both those guys are terrific leaders, have great influence on the younger players. That’s not just on the court but that’s off the court as well.”

MacDonald stayed in Philly for the summer and worked for Penn’s Hospitality Services. As an Operations Manager, he led a team of about a dozen student workers in assisting the hospitality staff with whatever they needed. He balanced his summer job and playing pickup with his teammates, preparing for the upcoming season and his long-awaited return to the court.

“I wish I could tell you, but just so ready,” MacDonald said. “I just keep looking at the calendar and the schedule. It’s been a long time since I’ve played an actual game. But I’m just excited to play with these guys, these guys are awesome, they’re my best friends, my brothers, so I just can’t wait to play. Can’t say enough.”

MacDonald won’t have to wait too much longer. After sitting out on the sidelines since his last game on February 25, 2015, MacDonald will take the court with teammates in just under a month, November 11, when Penn’s season tips off against Robert Morris.


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