Opponents will surely be getting a handful of Will McDonald this season.

According to Mercer Island High School (MIHS) boys basketball head coach Gavin Cree, McDonald shines in both the offensive and defensive realms as the 6-foot-4 senior forward enters his third season on the Islander varsity squad.

“Will has worked extremely hard over the years to become that player he is,” Cree said. “He is an outstanding shooter who stretches the defense and he plays a key role defensively as well with his length and ability to get deflections. His commitment to rebounding will be a difference-maker for us this year.”

McDonald also serves as a team captain along with senior guard Tristen Cruzen and senior forward Michael McDonald, both of whom stand 6-2. (The McDonald captains, who are not related, are joined by Michael’s junior brother Andrei — a 6-4 forward — on the squad.)

Following his time at MIHS, Will is set to continue his hoops career at Division III Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, next season.

“I visited them at the start of September, and I just connected really immediately with the coaches and all of the players on the team there. So it was just a great fit,” said Will, adding that the Kenyon coaches were impressed with his hoops film that he sent their way. With a bit of an academic scholarship coming Will’s way, he plans to focus his studies in the business or economics spheres.

But first things first: MIHS basketball this season.

Will said he feels comfortable stepping into a leadership role and guiding the new guys on the squad, which burst out of the gate with a 41-35 victory over Snohomish on Nov. 30.

He’s excited to see where the team goes this season, adding that hustling, rebounding and solid defensive work will be some key elements to notching a successful campaign. Since the MIHS team is a little undersized, Will said, in part, “We’re going to have to make sure we box out really hard on defense and take charges on bigger players.”

Will began his basketball journey in kindergarten as a participant in the Stroum Jewish Community Center’s Dinky Dunkers league and then jumped onto his first select team in fourth grade. He then rolled onto the local PEAK scene and into the Mercer Island select programs in fifth grade.

“It’s like a total brotherhood,” Will said of the Mercer Island hoops terrain. “I’ve pretty much been playing with Tristen and Michael since fourth grade. So it’s amazing.”

He continued, “With Mercer Island basketball, the guys that stick with it are playing with the same people pretty much their entire middle school, elementary school, high school career. So you really have a next-level bond and brotherhood. I think it’s really special playing for Mercer Island.”

The Reporter asked McDonald a series of questions to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life:

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given?

I think I would say to fail forward and take your failures or losses as a learning step instead of getting defeated by them. For example, one thing that Coach Cree talks about as well is it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. If you get cut from a team or you don’t make the team that you want, don’t get defeated by that. Use it as fuel to the fire and learn what you need to improve on, work even harder and prove everybody wrong and come back stronger than ever.

If you could go to dinner with one person, who would that be?

Allen Iverson. He’s my favorite basketball player of all time, so I think it would be fun to go to dinner with him.

What’s a superpower you’d like to have?

Teleportation, just so that it makes it easier to travel places.

What would be a dream vacation spot for you?

Somewhere in Switzerland right now.

What would you say is your biggest pet peeve?

I guess just when people aren’t working hard, especially on a school project or something. When I have to do more work than I feel like I should be doing.

What’s your daily motto? When you get up and go, ready for school, practice, whatnot — what’s your mindset there?

Just go out and seize the day, I guess. Kind of like the quote from “Dead Poets Society.” I think about that a lot, just trying to make the most out of everything that I can — not take anything for granted.

Then feeding off the film thing, what’s your favorite movie of all time?

“Pulp Fiction.”

What kind of music do you listen to? What gets you going?

Right now, a lot of rap. My favorite artist is Playboi Carti.

What’s a skill that you’d like to give a try? Maybe something that’s been in the back of your mind that you want to give a shot?

I wish I knew how to play the piano well. I would love to go out and be at a hotel or something and start playing the piano really well.