Born in Nhill, Victoria, McDonald played junior basketball in Horsham where he eventually made the senior Hornets squad and become an integral member of the Hornets' history-making double hat-trick of championships between 2000 and 2003 [REF].
In 2003, McDonald graduated from Horsham College,[REF] and the following year he moved to the United States on exchange from Victoria University to attend Nova Southeastern University.