McDonald fails to improve draft stock
The road to the NBA keeps getting steeper for former USF basketball player Will McDonald.
The 6-foot-10 center, who recently graduated after leading the Bulls with 15.9 points per game in 2003, participated in the Chicago Draft Camp, but his draft status remains uncertain.
McDonald earned an invite to the draft camp, considered the biggest evaluation of talent for the NBA draft, after putting on a terrific showing at the Portsmouth Invitational in April.
Unfortunately for McDonald, his top-notch game didn’t run over to the Chicago camp held at the Moody Bible Institute, where he posted a total of three rebounds.
The former Bull, whom many scouts, including ESPN’s Chad Ford, have slated as an NBA power forward, played the No. 4 position throughout the camp.
In his first game, McDonald scored three points, all coming on free throws, while grabbing only one rebound and committing seven fouls in 12 minutes.
In the second game, played Thursday, McDonald got the starting nod along side Duke’s Dahntay Jones and Florida’s Matt Bonner. Playing against fellow Conference USA opponent Memphis’ Chris Massie, and also Ohio’s Brandon Hunter, McDonald fared slightly better than his first outing but didn’t put up the big numbers he needed to make him a draft consideration. McDonald scored seven points and had two rebounds but still committed a team-high five fouls.
In a draft year that could see NBA squads favoring point guards rather than other positions, McDonald is ranked as the No. 9 center prospect by ESPN.com, and may be a better power forward if he can improve his face-up game and keep out of foul trouble by keeping pace with quicker forwards.
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