NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of West Virginia of last decade

4. Jarrod West – Marshall / Louisville

West’s timing was great, beginning his collegiate career at Marshall the same year they pulled that aforementioned upset against Wichita State. This 5’11 guard from Clarksburg was an important backcourt piece for the Thundering Herd, starting nearly every game in his four years at Marshall. West then spent his final year of eligibility this past year at Louisville in the Cardinals’ backcourt during a season that was a struggle.

Though his offensive numbers were inconsistent early in his career, West did have 9 points and 4 steals in that upset over Wichita State, putting up generally impressive steals numbers throughout his time at Marshall. As a junior, he had a 15-point, 11-assist outing against Western Kentucky while averaging 14.2 points and 4.1 assists on the season. After four solid years for both West and the Thundering Herd, he spent his final year at Louisville, playing less of a role for the Cardinals. Louisville mightily struggled and West averaged just 6.1 points and 2.9 assists a game.

West’s role was vital to the Thundering Herd on both sides of the ball. He was twice named All-CUSA and was twice on the league’s All-Defense squad. His final season at Marshall saw him lead his conference in both assists and steals while his defensive metrics were pretty impressive as well. That year in Louisville certainly didn’t progress as West intended, but he was still a great backcourt piece who put together a very good five-year collegiate career.