Keven McDonald

Keven McDonald (born June 2, 1956) is an American former basketball player who is best known for his collegiate career at the University of Pennsylvania from 1974 to 1978. He won the Robert V. Geasey Trophy as a junior and was named the Ivy League Player of the Year as a senior. Following his career at Penn, McDonald was selected in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics as the 42nd overall pick.

College career

A native of Bloomfield, New Jersey, McDonald played the small forward position for the Quakers during an era in which they were a nationally prominent basketball program. In his freshman season, the team finished with a 23–5 overall record (13–1 in Ivy League) and were crowned as conference champions. They lost in the first round of the 1975 NCAA Tournament to Kansas State, however.

During his sophomore year, McDonald played a more prominent role as team leader after Ron Haigler graduated. McDonald led Penn in scoring at 18.9 points per game, but the team only finished with a 17–9 overall record (11–3 Ivy). Since the Ivy League is the only NCAA Division I conference that does not have a postseason conference tournament, only the regular season conference champion earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. By finishing in second place, Penn did not participate in a postseason tournament. McDonald earned his first of three consecutive selections to the All-Ivy League and All-Big 5 teams.

In 1976–77, McDonald led the Quakers in both scoring (21.2) and rebounding (9.2) en route to being named the Robert V. Geasey Trophy recipient, which is an award bestowed upon the best player in Philadelphia Big 5 competition. Team success was moderate, however, as they finished in second place in the Ivy League again with an 18–8 (12–2 Ivy) record. That year was also head coach Chuck Daly's final one at Penn, a position he had held since 1971–72. Daly was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Penn made a resurgence during McDonald's senior season in 1977–78, one in which he led the team in scoring for a third straight year at 22.3 points per game. The Quakers finished at 20–8 (12–2 Ivy), earned a berth into the 1978 NCAA Tournament. In the first round of the tournament against St. Bonaventure, McDonald scored a career high 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, which are both school records for the tournament. In the second round (Sweet 16), with McDonald hampered by early foul trouble, the Quakers lost a close game in the final minutes to Duke, who eventually finished as runners-up in the tournament. McDonald was voted as the Ivy League Player of the Year for being the leader on the most successful Ivy League team that season.

Professional career

On June 9, 1978, McDonald was selected in the second round (42nd overall) in that year's National Basketball Association draft by the Seattle SuperSonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder).

References

External links

• Finnish League profile