Rarely, if ever, does someone come to Albuquerque to get famous.
Enter the curious case of Phillip McDonald, the UNM men’s basketball team’s second-year swingman.
Upon his arrival, there were practically people lounging on the tarmac, waiting for the ballyhooed four-star prospect to plant his Nikes on New Mexico soil.
Needless to say, McDonald became an overnight celebrity — so much so that he should’ve just started carrying a Sharpie in his sock. Everybody wanted his John Hancock.
After home games, children and parents alike waited for McDonald to dart up toward the tunnel in The Pit, pens and Lobo memorabilia in hand.
The usually introverted player said he was taken aback by the gesture.
“It was actually very surprising,” said McDonald, who graciously obliged to fans’ signature requests. “In Houston I didn’t get asked for too many autographs. As soon as I flew up here to Albuquerque, I got asked for autographs as soon as I got off the plane. This is a college town. These kids really look up to you compared to when I was in Houston. When I was in Houston, you have professional teams, so you’re just a little guy.”
Truth be told, there was nothing diminutive about McDonald or his play — not his stature, nor his first-year contributions. As a freshman, McDonald played a rather large role, averaging 7.3 points per game in a little more than 20 minutes per game. He started 33 games, the second-most starts for a Lobo freshman since 1987-88, when Rob Robbins had 36.
But by his own admission —“Last year was new to me,” he said. “I wasn’t used to playing that many games. My body was fatigued toward the end of the season. This game is different. They’re looking at you (on film) in the gym and trying to exploit your weakest points.”
If anything, McDonald said, he was just trying not to ruffle any feathers or upset the balance of the team.
“Last year, I was just basically trying to fit in and play in with the seniors,” he said.
But if McDonald, as he insinuated, was holding back some of his unearthed potential, then that tells you something about how capable he is. Last season, he scored double-digits 11 times, and he also became the first Lobo since Mark Walters did it in 2003 to record a double-double.
There were times, however, when McDonald balked at being assertive with the basketball and deferred to the seniors instead. In UNM’s last four games of the season, including the Lobos’ 75-67 Mountain Conference Tournament quarterfinal loss to Wyoming, McDonald had just four points.
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And this year, McDonald and the Lobos will be without their security blankets — guards Tony Danridge, Chad Toppert and center Daniel Faris.
But Toppert, who competed against McDonald in the 3-point contest in the Oct. 16 Lobo Howl (both tied with 13), said McDonald is over the jitterbug.
“I think he’s going to be a lot more confident this year,” Toppert said. “He’s coming out of his shell, and that’s going to help him on the court as well.”
While McDonald may be prepared for that part of the home-opener next month, off the court he’ll probably be surprised as ever by pen-wielding zealots.
“You have to watch what you say, and just try to be a role model to these kids. They look up to you,” McDonald said.
