May 24, 2007

SAN MARCOS - This offseason has made it abundantly clear. The McDonald family is firmly established as one of the top basketball families from the San Marcos area.

Donny McDonald, son of legendary Texas State head basketball coach Vernon McDonald, was named one of the Dean Weese Outstanding Coaches of the Year for 2007, the girls 4A Texas Coach of the Year, by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

His brother Lynn, the head coach at Clear Lake High, earned the boys 5A honor.

Not a bad month for a family chock full of coaches.

Donny, the girls head coach at Hays High, led the Lady Rebels to a 4A Regional quarterfinals spot this season, making it 11 straight playoff appearances for the Lady Rebels. McDonald has compiled a 589-272 record over 28 years of coaching. He's been at Hays for 13 seasons and previously spent the first seven years of his career at San Marcos High School where he took the Lady Rattlers to their first ever trip to the playoffs. McDonald also led San Antonio-Madison to the school's first ever playoff appearance.

Early this decade, in the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 seasons, Hays' first two at the 5A level, the Lady Rebels were state finalists the first year and regional finalists the next.

McDonald has been nominated to coach the state Basketball All-Star game twice during his career.

McDonald is also active in the community, serving as a Deacon at Hays Hills First Baptist Church in Buda and as a board member for the Texas State Vernon McDonald Endowment for Men's basketball.

In addition to the honors accomplished by the brothers, their father Vernon also received recognition for his playing and coaching career earlier this year. This winter, McDonald was named to a list of the Lone Star Conference's Top 75 players and coaches. The list was announced in conjunction with the LSC's 75th anniversary.

As a player, McDonald was twice named to the All-Lone Star Conference Team while helping Texas State to three straight LSC championships. He served as an assistant coach at Texas State, including the 1960 NAIA National Championship staff before being named head coach in 1961. He posted a 226-191 record (.543) during his coaching tenure (1961-77).