Sam Donald remembers handling a basketball for the first time, well before he could walk.
At age 18, Donald is the leading scorer for the Columbia (Ill.) High School Eagles. This summer, he will be the youngest member of the U.S. men’s basketball team competing in Israel at the Maccabi Games.
Donald, who had his bar mitzvah at Central Reform Congregation, is perhaps the only Jewish student among the 700 enrolled at Columbia High School. He may also be in the minority this fall as a freshman at Bellarmine University, a private Catholic school in Louisville, Ky. Donald was recruited to play for the Bellarmine Knights, a Division 1 NCAA team. He’s looking forward to playing college ball, but he’s also made a commitment to study hard.
“The Bellarmine academic program is off the charts,” said Donald, who plans to major in finance and accounting. “They have a great business program.”
He’s already thinking ahead to finishing his undergrad studies in three years so his athletic scholarship will help pay for grad school. Donald is strategically considering career plans after college, too. That could mean a job in the business world or eventually working with his father, Jeremy Donald, at CNR (Christian National Recreation) Basketball, a St. Louis area youth league. He could also potentially play pro ball in Europe or Israel.
“Or, if I want to get into the coaching world, I could try to chase a coaching job,” he said.
Right now, Donald is focused on helping his team win games. It’s the same core group that grew up and played together since the second grade. At 20-4, the team (eight seniors and one junior) had the best won-loss record in the Cahokia Conference as of Feb. 1. The 6-foot-8 Donald is a power forward who wears number 32 on his jersey. It’s an homage to former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson, an NBA Hall of Fame member whose playing style Donald emulates.
Donald averages 16 points per game and he is the fourth all-time leading scorer in Columbia High School history with 1,785 points and counting. He’s the team leader in field goals, free throws, assists and rebounds. He was named to First Team Cahokia All-Conference honors and Class 2A First Team All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
Mark Sandstrom, the Eagles’ coach, said Donald does a little bit of everything well on the basketball court.
“Sam is very instrumental to our outstanding won-loss record the last four years,” Sandstrom said. “He currently leads the entire conference in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game and blocks per game. He loves the skill, work, strategy and being a great leader. He is just super-motivated to succeed teamwise first and personally second.
“Most 6-foot-8 players are under the basket at the high school level, but Sam is multidimensional and plays everywhere on the court. The thing I like most about Sam is how unselfish he is. He loves to share the ball. Sam could easily average 25 points per game, but we don’t need him to do that every night for our team to be successful.”
Donald is the consummate team player, according to Joey Mufson, who coached him and other local teenagers on the St. Louis junior Maccabi Games team in 2023.
“Sam is all around just a 100% rock solid,” Mufson said. “He cares so little about scoring or accolades. He does whatever it takes for the team to win. The coolest thing about Sam was something else that happened. There’s a program through Maccabi for kids with special needs. Sam saw them and headed to the court to rebound with them. He’s a superstar but he’s high fiving them and he made their day. The rest of the team ended up following Sam’s lead.”
In June, Donald will be joining his Maccabi U.S. teammates in New Jersey, where they’ll assemble before heading to Israel. U.S. team coach David Metzendorf said Donald was exactly the type of player and competitor he was looking for.
“He adapted to different situations we put him in, embraced the coaching and had an energy on the court,” said Metzendorf, who also is the associate head coach of the Air Force Academy men’s basketball team. “Over the course of the weekend, he improved more than any player at the tryout. We are very excited for the opportunity to tap into and to continue to develop his skill set. We are looking forward to having him on our team competing for a gold medal this summer.”
When assessing his strengths on the court, Donald said, “I think the best part of my game is my passing ability and being able to see the floor. Also, being able to create an offense and doing whatever I can to help us win.”
Metzendorf said Donald has an uncanny ability to change direction, handle the ball and make split-second reactions. The coach also saw in Donald a strength and toughness. That was evident in a late January game after an opposing player went up for a layup. Coming down, the other player’s elbow hit Donald and opened a gash over his eye.
“Luckily, one of my mom’s friends is a doctor,” Donald said. “She looked at it and said, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad — I’ll just glue it up.’ At least it makes me look a little tough!”
Donald’s savvy and skill on the court comes from hours of practice. He also focuses on enjoying the experience, win or lose.
“I’ve always worked hard, and I like to find a happy balance between being serious and having fun,” Donald said. “My dad always told us growing up, ‘Just go out there and have fun.’ I think that’s what also helped me to get where I am.”
Donations to help offset the expenses of Sam Donald’s travel to Israel this summer with the U.S. men’s basketball Maccabi Games team can be made to [email protected]
