Westmont College Athletics

By Tim Heiduk
April 28, 2020
 
(PONFERRADA, Spain) Westmont men's basketball alumnus Sean McDonnell has been moving up the ranks in professional basketball overseas since August of 2017, playing for three teams since his graduation from Westmont in May of that year.
 
McDonnell first signed with Cantaires Tortosa in Spain for the 2017-18 season before staying in the country to play for CB Ciudad de Ponferrada during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns. He also competed for Yuk Fai in Hong Kong during the summer of 2019.
 
"The first few years have been a grind," McDonnell said. "A lot of people think once you're over there you're making a ton of money and living in high-rises, but at the lower levels that's not the reality.
 
"That being said the experience has been amazing for me. I've been able to grow as a person and a player, travel around Europe and most importantly make money doing what I love. Every year my situations have been improving, so I really have no complaints. Anything you pursue in life is going to have speed bumps."
 
That grind has been paying off for McDonnell. In 2017-18, he averaged 17.2 points per game (ppg) and 7.6 rebounds per game (rpg) for Cantaires Tortosa, with former Westmont teammate Cory Blau also on the roster, according to Europrobasket.
 
The following season with his current club, CB Ciudad de Ponferrada, he increased those averages to 19.4 ppg and 7.7 rpg to earn Liga EBA First Team honors. That same year his team won the league championship and earned promotion to LEB Plata.
 
Most recently in 2019-20, McDonnell earned multiple weekly LEB Plata MVP awards and was the league's third leading scorer, averaging 16.8 ppg according to Real GM, before the season was suspended due to COVID-19.
 
"As a player I've been able to expand every part of my game," McDonnell said. "Overseas they not only expect you to be able to do everything on the court, but they encourage it. I've become a better player in every aspect of the game."
 
McDonnell's growth continues a trend that began during his time at Westmont.
 
"If every player were to grow as much as Sean did over his three years, each player would surpass all expectations just as Sean has," Westmont head coach John Moore said. "Sean's growth has been inspiring. He did not allow himself to be boxed in by expectations. Therefore, his abilities soared."
 
McDonnell transferred to Westmont from Big Bend C.C. before his sophomore year of college. In his first season as a Warrior, the team reached the NAIA National Championship game, its best finish in program history.
 
The following summer, as McDonald was entering his junior year, is when Moore saw tremendous growth out of his six-foot-eight-inch forward and knew McDonnell had what it took to play professionally.
 
"Sean was disappointed in his playing time that year and made significant improvement coming into his junior year," Moore said. "In fact, he made as much improvement from one year to the next as any player I have ever coached. He sprinted into the starting lineup and never looked back."
 
As a junior, McDonnell led the team in rebounding with 7.1 rpg and was the Warriors' second-leading scorer at 14.8 ppg. Westmont finished with a 21-11 record and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament.
 
Then as a senior, McDonnell increased his rebounding average to 7.6 rpg and once again scored in double figures (12.1 ppg). His contributions helped the Warriors finish the season 25-8 and reach the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Tournament.
 
During his junior and senior seasons in particular, Moore said McDonnell developed into a team leader.
 
"He was a hungry Warrior and found the perfect role for himself his junior and senior year," Moore said. "He completely lost himself in the team and became a tremendous team leader.
 
"He was tenacious on himself and positive with his teammates. He grew in every leadership area over his time at Westmont.
 
"Sean has the intangibles that every coach desires in a player - a positive voice in the locker room, a tenacious work ethic in practice and a forward-leaning optimism as a teammate."
 
McDonnell finished his career ranked seventh in program history in field goal percentage (.578) and 25th in rebounds (525), despite only playing three years at Westmont.
 
"Sean was one of the finest offensive rebounders in the history of our program," Moore said. "He was relentless on the glass. He ran the floor, sprinting by his defender every night, all night long. Those two things take persistence, stick-to-itiveness and toughness. Sean had all three in big ways."
 
The 27-year Westmont head coach has been one of McDonnell's biggest fans as he has taken his game to the professional level.
 
Moore said: "I have enthusiastically recommended Sean every single time I have heard from an agent, general manager or a coach regarding his abilities as a player, as a leader and as a teammate.
 
"Sean means a great deal to our program because he epitomizes what a Westmont education entails, and what our program thrives upon: growth, maturity and a deepened understanding of what is most important. Sean took advantage of the very best Westmont has to offer. And he did so with a deep appreciation."
 
McDonnell echoed that appreciation.
 
"I credit Westmont and the coaches a lot for [me now] being able to deal with adversity," McDonnell said. "Before I had come to Westmont I had never been challenged in a basketball setting.
 
"Having to sit on the bench until I got better and learned how to take direction has helped me become more coachable and honestly was the first time I was really taught the game at that level. I had never thought about the game the way coach Moore teaches it and it's made me a better player without a doubt."
 
The former Warrior still cherishes the memories he made on the Westmont team.
 
"My fondest memories with the team are down time with all the guys and road trips," McDonnell said. "I stay in touch with a ton of them and I don't think we relished those moments as much as we should've while we were in them. We had an awesome group."
 
The LEB Plata season in Spain is currently postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. McDonnell credited his organization for acting quickly and getting the foreign-based players back home safely, where McDonnell is currently in Encinitas.
 
Even if the league season resumes, which McDonnell said is unlikely, McDonnell will remain stateside until at least the summer, when his current contract with the team expires.
 
"His deep hunger and love for the game helped carry our team and continues to carry him today as he pursues his love for the game internationally," Moore said. "It is not easy being a basketball player overseas, but Sean has been unselfish in his attitude and his professionalism."
 
McDonnell is excited for what his future professional career holds.
 
"I'll keep playing as long as my body allows and as long as I'm having fun with it," McDonnell said. "Hopefully for another 10 years or so. The trajectory I'm on right now is really encouraging and I want to see where I can take this."