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Four Area Seniors Named as Semifinalists for McDonald Award

By Press Release/Craig Olson, 03/12/19, 1:30AM CDT

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Thirty student-athletes have been selected as Semi-Finalists for the 2019 McDonald Award to be presented by the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association. The McDonald Award will be presented annually to the outstanding Senior Player of the Year with the 2018-19 basketball season being the second year of the award.  Matt Johnson of Fergus Falls, Noah Christensen of Breckenridge, Jenson Beachy of Perham and Maleeck Harden-Hayes of Moorhead are among the semifinalists.  The award recipient will be announced and presented the award in late March or early April.

The award is named in honor of Bob McDonald, a legend and icon in Chisholm, the state of Minnesota, and the nation for his accomplishments as a coach and his commitment to educating students. Coach McDonald, served 59 years as a high school basketball coach and is the only coach in Minnesota hoops history, and only one of 13 in the nation, to have led his teams to over 1,000 (1.012) victories. Coach McDonald was also known for instilling the values of hard work, teamwork, a strong moral code, and high academic expectations for the students he served on the court and in the classroom. Bob is a member of the MBCA Hall of Fame, the MSHSL Hall of Fame, and the NFHS National Hall of Fame.

The Award, patterned after the Wooden Award, will include, but not be limited to, qualifications such as exhibiting strength of character, both on and off the court; contributing to team effort ; excelling on both offense and defense; and performance over the course of the entire season.

In addition to selecting the Player of the Year; the establishment of the award is also designed to focus attention on the positive aspects of basketball and the role coaches play in the lives of all the student- athletes they represent and serve. In moving forward it is the goal of the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association, that the McDonald Award will be widely viewed as the top award that a high school basketball player in Minnesota can receive.