Jerry West dies at 86: Successful college basketball career at West Virginia helped produce an NBA legend

Before Jerry West became a 14-time All-Star, NBA title-winning executive and the league’s logo, he was a high school star in rural West Virginia with modest career aspirations. West, who died Wednesday at age 86He joined the West Virginia University basketball program in 1956, majoring in physical education, with the goal of becoming a teacher.

Instead, he became a legend. West’s time at WVU paved the way for one of the greatest basketball lives of all time and made him an icon in his home state and around the world.

“It was the smartest thing I ever did in my life,” West said in a 2011 profile made by the Golden State Warriors of his decision to study at West Virginia. “I was so late and awkward and socially inept when I was at school. I was so quiet and shy, like a lot of kids are, especially back then. I got there and formed some wonderful relationships.”

West sits atop the Mountaineers’ all-time scoring list with 2,309 points in just three seasons of varsity action, and his second season still marks the only time West Virginia has ranked first in the AP Top Poll 25, according to Sports Reference. .

WVU had an 81-12 record during West’s three seasons, reaching the national title game in 1959 when West scored a game-high 28 points in a 71-70 loss to Cal. West was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, making him one of 10 players to receive that honor while playing for a team that did not win the title.

The Mountaineers retired West’s No. 44 jersey during the 2005–06 season – the first number retired by the program – and dedicated a statue of West outside the WVU Coliseum in 2007. The university made him an inaugural member of the WVU Mountaineer Legends Society in 2017 .

“A true gentleman, one of the greatest players and executives the NBA has ever seen and certainly the most famous West Virginia Mountaineer of all time, he will forever be remembered by the sports world, and this university and its fans owe a great debt to he. of gratitude for a lifetime of achievements, generosity and loving memories,” West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker said in a statement released by the school.

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, West earned All-America honors three times and still holds several school records despite playing in an era before the 3-point line and the shot clock.

While West’s time as a hero for his state program fits perfectly into his illustrious legacy, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that he would attend WVU. West received attention from more than 60 colleges while starring at East Bank High School, along the banks of the Kanawha River, about 175 miles southwest of WVU’s Morgantown campus.

It was a childhood trip with his brother-in-law through the mountains to a West Virginia basketball game that sparked his loyalty to the state program.

“I will never forget that trip” West said. “So when things start happening to you and everyone is trying to recruit you — obviously there’s a lot of incentive at that point to try to get someone to go to school — but that wasn’t something that was going to happen for me. I would go to West Virginia University.”

With interest from the likes of Kansas and other top programs, West could have ventured into any number of places to play in college. Instead, he decided to join forces with coach Fred Schaus, and the two rose to stardom together. Schaus became the Lakers’ coach when the franchise selected West No. 2 overall in the 1960 NBA Draft, which helped ease his transition into what became a legendary professional career.

“It was like a whole new world for me” West said of his time at WVU. “I thought 500 people was a big city. You got to Morgantown and it was like, ‘oh my God.’ There were 30,000 people at that time. I thought it was New York City. It was a really growing experience for me.

As West became an all-time great and then became one of the most successful executives in NBA history, he never forgot his West Virginia roots.

West has consulted with WVU over the years on basketball hiring decisions and on larger issues facing the athletics department and the university, according to the school’s report. tribute to the West. He also “quietly donated millions” to the university, the tribute noted.

“As the basketball world mourns the man known simply as ‘the Logo,’ I join all West Virginians and members of the West Virginia University family in remembering a true legend,” said WVU President, Gordon Gee, in a statement released by the school.