HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: Senior's McDonnell picks UNI

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By Chase Lynn, Dubuque Senior senior

DUBUQUE — It didn't take long for Dubuque Senior junior Luke McDonnell to decide where he wanted to play college basketball.

'I decided to do it early because I felt like it was the right time and would be a good fit,' McDonnell said after announcing he was accepting a scholarship offer from the University of Northern Iowa.

McDonnell received offers from UNI and Drake and was starting to hear from other from Division I programs.

Playing close to home was a major factor for McDonnell in picking the Panthers. His parents, Mark and Deb, plan to attend all of his games.

'We are extremely excited that Luke will be close to home,' Deb said. 'We plan to get to see all of his games and UNI's schedule and the Missouri Valley Conference will allow that to happen.'

Dubuque Senior boys' basketball coach Wendell Eimers is not surprised by McDonnell's decision and believes UNI is a perfect fit for the 6-foot-9 power forward.

'UNI has an excellent basketball program and they had Luke at the top of their recruiting list for juniors,' he said. 'The first two open gyms we had in September, UNI had their entire coaching staff in Nora Gym watching Luke and showing how much they wanted him to commit to the Panthers.'

McDonnell is one of three Rams starters who have received offers from Division I programs. Kyle Haber has committed to Brown University.

McDonnell helped lead the Rams to the state tournament his freshman and sophomore seasons, including a third-place finish last year.

With his college decision already made, McDonnell can now relax and focus on improving his skills.

'It makes it a lot more relaxing knowing I made my decision already,' he said. 'I'm a lot less stressed now.'