EDINBURG – Senior Moe McDonald of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley takes pride in calling McAllen, Texas his home and it has been a dream come true to represent his city at the Division I level.
 
"As a dream, you just want to be one of the best players from where you are from," McDonald said "I really wanted people just to see that you can be from McAllen and make it. I rep it hard, you know, I love being from McAllen. I am not from Houston, Dallas, or Chicago. We have guys from Rwanda, Monroe, and Los Angeles. Me and Nick Mora are from the Valley and I try to put a good name to the Valley and try to give it my all for my family the people around me."
 
In fact, it was in McAllen where McDonald got his first taste of sports. His dad was a sports fanatic and wanted McDonald to try as many sports as possible. McDonald says he remembers playing soccer on Sundays when he was a member of the McAllen Youth Soccer Association.
 
McDonald even played baseball while playing basketball at the Boys and Girls Club but the sport he was really into as a kid was football. McDonald said that he always thought he would be the next Michael Vick but that all changed one day and he turned his attention to being the next Allen Iverson.
 
"Football is more of I beat you up and you beat me up kind of thing and it was cool for a little while," McDonald said. "I started taking a little too many licks so then I really got into basketball. I wanted to do the whole A.I. thing. I started braiding my hair when I was in middle school and cut my football sleeves and put them on my arms. That was my thing."
 
He remembers the fun times playing with his friends. McDonald also remembers getting to school early so they can shoot around and stay at school late to get another pickup game started.
 
McDonald played his sports in McAllen until he was going into his eighth-grade school year. On a flight from a family reunion, McDonald's dad read a story about Ramel Bradley, who went to IMG Academy and played basketball at Kentucky.
 
He thought it would be a good idea if McDonald attended IMG Academy too and proposed it to McDonald, who thought it would be best if he tried it out. McDonald spent his eighth-grade year and his four high school years at IMG Academy.
 
It was a whole different world when it came to basketball at the IMG Academy.
 
"I had never seen the game played at such a high level," McDonald said. "When I went to IMG, I was like wow. I was seeing people of x and y caliber that I only thought was imaginable. These people are only a couple of years older than me so I really learned work ethic and determination from being around people that were so much better than me."
 
Seeing that kind of basketball every day really pushed McDonald to want to be better. His game really started to develop at the IMG Academy with the help from his coaches Vince Walden and Dan Barto.
 
McDonald credits them for the turnaround in his game throughout high school.
 
"They were big impacts on me in the game," McDonald said. "They really taught me how to play the game. I wasn't really that good. I was actually pretty terrible but they turned me into a 180, I guess and helped me to become more devoted to the game."
 
After his five years at IMG Academy, McDonald had to make a difficult decision of whether or not to sit out a year before entering college. It was difficult for him because he saw all of his friends go off and play college basketball and he wanted to do the same but he decided to sit out.
 
McDonald took advantage of his time and started training with former NBA player John Lucas. The time working with Lucas was beneficial for McDonald as he said that he wouldn't be where he is today without him.
 
That year off also helped McDonald realize if he was really dedicated to the game. He knew it was a long time to wait but, in the end, he was glad he made that decision.
 
"That year off was huge," McDonald said. "It was self-actualization, I guess. It was really about getting back to the root. It was knowing and going through if I really wanted to play the game. I was going on 20 years old not knowing if I wanted to do this every day. He would always tell me I had talent and that I can do it but I was my own biggest enemy."
 
After his time with Lucas, he was determined to continue his playing career. McDonald had some options on the table but nothing that really intrigued him. After talking with his parents, they thought it would be best if he came back home.
 
McDonald just wanted to do the best he could when he entered in his first season. He had to earn his playing time on the court. The first two seasons for McDonald were getting accustomed to the speed of the college game but when he entered his junior year with UTRGV head coach Lew Hill something clicked for McDonald.
 
"He took me to the side and asked me if I loved the game or not and if I saw myself going anywhere with it in the future," McDonald said. "He really gave me a guideline and a blueprint and said that I could play the game longer than I think if I took it seriously, so when he said that, I just trusted him."
 
McDonald put in the time after that and could be seen in the gym almost every day during the summer. He and the coaching staff worked to get better and building that confidence. He played in 26 games in his first year with the program before playing in 32 games as a junior. He has currently played in 23 games while starting in 13 of them this season and that confidence level has been sky high for McDonald.
 
He mentions how important having confidence in himself is. McDonald says that having confidence in the game of basketball is crucial because sometimes you don't have the time to build that confidence in such a quick game like basketball.
 
"It's huge," McDonald said. "You don't have 18 holes to get better or it's not like tennis where you have four games for one point. You have one or two shots and if they aren't falling then you might not be playing that day. If you have three or four that are going in then the basket could be as wide as the ocean. Confidence is a big key."
 
While confidence is important, McDonald also knows how much work goes into playing the game. He wants others to know that it's not as easy as it may seem and that not only he but all of his teammates work hard.
 
McDonald also works hard in the classroom as he is majoring in general studies with an emphasis on kinesiology, psychology, and communications. He hopes to one day go into business with his dad.
 
McDonald's ultimate career goal, though, is to own his own recording studio where he can manage talented singers and maybe even actors. Not very many people may know that he has a bit of a creative side and he hopes to be able to show that side of him more often.
 
"I really see myself as creative. Outside of basketball people just see the athletics side," McDonald said. "Guys like Lesley [Varner] and all them know that I like to dress well, well not as well as my father, but I like to dress well and dress my part. I like to have fun in that aspect. I love a lot of creative stuff like film, fashion, and music. I love the underground music which is the stuff people don't really listen to."
 
Looking back at his college career, McDonald is going to miss the grind. He says that he complains about waking up early to get things done but he knows that once he graduates it won't be the same grind and he will miss it.
 
That last five years have gone by quick for McDonald and if he could leave one piece of advice for future members of the program, it would be to take advantage of their time.
 
"Take advantage of your time here," McDonald said. "Like coach said, these are going to be the most fun years of your life. They do go by quick. I remember just coming here and being in the corner and being the snotty nosed kid of the team, now they call me the grandpa. It's been a great five years."

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