EmilyMcDonald

High School
Emily McDonald, a Buffalo, New York, native, who was ranked No. 23, according to ESPN, in the Class of 2026, was selected a McDonald’s All-American and invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic … She won the girls and co-ed 3-point championship at the McDonald’s All-American Game … She played her high school freshman and sophomore seasons at St. Mary’s of Lancaster in Buffalo, New York, where she was named a two-time All-Catholic First Team pick, two-time All-Western New York pick, two-time All-State pick and received her team’s most valuable player honor in 2022-23 and 2023-24 … McDonald then played her junior and senior seasons (2024-25 and 2025-26) at Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York, alongside fellow signee Savvy Swords … She is coming off her senior season at LuHi in 2025-26, helping her team to a 19-5 overall record and maintaining a top-1o national ranking … As a junior in 2024-25, she averaged 12.7 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 3.1 assists per game, 2.1 steals per game and 1.4 blocks per game en route to helping her team to as high as a No. 4 ranking in the nation that year … That same year for the Crusaders, McDonald earned several individual accolades, including Hoop Hall Most Valuable Player, Bluestar Showcase Most Valuable Player and the Coaches Award … Beyond high school girls’ basketball, she also played for Team Northeast on the Select Events Power 24 Circuit … Her team was one of four No. 1 seeds on the circuit, and McDonald also earned All-Power 24 Third Team honors … Her summer with Team Northeast in 2025 helped the versatile guard jump from No. 39 to No. 23 on the ESPN rankings for the Class of 2026.