Jeffery Douglas West (born May 27, 1967) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. A

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

, West was selected by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

in the second round of the

1989 NBA draft The 1989 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1989, in New York City. Despite eight of the top ten picks being considered busts, including the first two picks Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry, the draft produced many talented players such as Shawn K ...

. An athletic, well-rounded player who could score as well as defend, West was an "original" Timberwolf, being drafted by the team in its first year of existence. He was the last of the original roster to remain on the team.

High school career

West attended

Altoona Area High School Altoona Area High School (AAHS) is the public high school for the Altoona Area School District in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The high school serves the communities of Altoona, Logan Township, and a small portion of Tyrone Township. The school dis ...

where he became a Parade All-American. West was a highly touted recruit by Villanova's head coach

Rollie Massimino Roland Vincent Massimino (November 13, 1934 – August 30, 2017) was an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Stony Brook University (1969–1971), Villanova University (1973–1992), the University of Nevada, L ...

after their 1985 NCAA Championship run.

College career

, West proved to be a smart player, gifted shooter with driving ability and a great leaping talent. He was consistently productive in his four-year college career with an average of 15 points per game, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in Wildcats history scoring 2,037 points from 1986 to 1989. He still ranks fifth on the team's all-time scoring list. He made the Big East All-Freshman team in 1986 and was second in scoring to

Harold Jensen Harold Jensen (born c. 1965) is an American former basketball player. He is best remembered as a key player in Villanova University's surprise 1985 NCAA championship victory. He shot the winning basket in the final minutes of the 1985 showdown ag ...

as a sophomore at 15.2 points per game. West led the Wildcats in scoring as a junior with 16 points per game in 1988 and along with Mark Plansky, led the team to an exciting run in the 1988 NCAA tournament where Villanova upset both no. 3

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

then no. 2

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

in the Sweet 16 before falling in the Elite 8 to no. 1 ranked

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

who would eventually lose to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

in the NCAA Championship Game. West made the NCAA All-Southeast region team and the All-Big East team that season. As a senior in 1989 he would lead Villanova in scoring again with an 18 points per game and make All-Big East again.

Professional career

West was selected by the

in the second round of the

. An athletic, well-rounded player who could score as well as defend, he was an "original" Timberwolf, being drafted by the team in its first year of existence. He was the last of the original roster to remain on the team. West became a regular starter for the Timberwolves during the 1991–92 season, in which he averaged 14.0 points per game, appeared in the

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...

Slam Dunk Championship, and earned Timberwolves' Defensive Player of the Year Honors. The following season, he averaged a career high 19.3 points per game. During the 1993 off-season, the Timberwolves made shooting guard

Isaiah Rider Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R. (born March 12, 1971), is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the NBA. Rider was born in Oakland, California, and was raised in nearby Alameda. He starred in both baseball and ...

their first round draft pick and made him the starter at the position. West was moved to small forward, where his numbers declined significantly. In 1995, he broke

Tony Campbell Anthony Campbell (born May 7, 1962) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Campbell played prep basketball at Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey, graduating in 1980. A 6'7" small forward out of O ...

's team-record 4,888 points to become the Timberwolves' all-time leading scorer (a distinction now held by

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...

). The following off-season, the team drafted Garnett, and West was moved to the bench, starting just 16 games. He returned to the starting lineup for the 1996–97 season when Rider was traded to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, which would be his last season as a starter. By the mid-1990s, injuries had begun to take their toll on West, and he was traded to the

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...

in exchange for

Anthony Peeler Anthony Eugene Peeler (born November 25, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player, having played for a number of NBA teams from 1992 to 2005. He was most commonly known for his defense and athleticism. He later became an assista ...

near the end of the 1997–98 season. West provided a veteran presence for the struggling young Grizzlies, but he saw very limited playing time, and he finally retired from the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

in 2001. He had tallied career totals of 6,477 points, 1,670 rebounds, and 1,292 assists. West's final NBA game was on December 20, 2000 in a 118 - 104 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

where he recorded just 1 assist and 1 block in 6 minutes of playing time. In the late 1990s, West suffered from depression and

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

, for which he sought treatment.

Coaching career

After the NBA, West spent two years coaching at a high school in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...

, and two years as an athletic director at a high school in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

. West was an assistant coach for the

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

women's basketball team for one season. West was named an assistant coach for the

Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (Football Championship Sub ...

, replacing

Ed Pinckney Edward Lewis Pinckney (born March 27, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. College career He attended Villanova University and was a part of the Villanova Wildcats' 1981 heralded recruiting class that included Gary McLa ...

on October 5, 2007. In 2012, West joined the coaching staff of the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. On July 9, 2015, West was announced as the men's basketball head coach at Penn State Altoona. On May 20, 2016, West was announced as the boys basketball coach at his alma mater,

Notes

External links

Career Stats
at basketball-reference.com

at Minnesota Timberwolves' Official Web Site

at Villanova {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Doug 1967 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Pennsylvania Duquesne Dukes women's basketball coaches Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Altoona, Pennsylvania Vancouver Grizzlies players Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople