As you’re all probably aware, NBA legend (and the inspiration for the NBA logo), passed away this past June 12th. Much has been made, rightly so, of his tremendous contributions to the NBA, both during and after his playing days.
The Los Angeles Lakers, for whom West played, will be honoring West this season by wearing a No. 44 memorial band on their jerseys.
But West was already a star before he’d ever played a minute of basketball in the NBA. Born and raised in West Virginia, West was a standout high school basketball player, and while more than 60 universities showed interest in him, he decided to stay in West Virginia and attended West Virginia University (WVU).
West played for the Mountaineers for four seasons. According to Wikipedia
In his freshman year (1956–57), West was a member of the WVU freshman squad that achieved a perfect record of 17 straight wins over the course of the season. … In his first varsity year under head coach Fred Schaus, West scored 17.8 points per game and averaged 11.1 rebounds; he also started in all 28 games while shooting 49.6% from the field and 73.2% from the free throw line. These performances earned him a multitude of honors, among them an All-American Third Team call-up, First Team All-Southern Conference, Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Award and First Team honors, Chuck Taylor–Converse Second-team All-American honors, and Associated Press and United Press International Third-team All-America honors.The Mountaineers went 26–2 that year, ending the season with a loss to Manhattan College in postseason tournament play.
During his junior year (1958–59), West scored 26.6 points per game and grabbed 12.3 rebounds per game. He tied the NCAA five-game tournament record of 160 points (32 points per game) and led all scorers and rebounders in every West Virginia game, including getting 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 71–70 loss to California in the final. West was named Most Outstanding Player of that year’s Final Four. Further awards were All-America, Southern Conference Tournament MVP and Southern Conference Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year. He was also named to be a member of the U.S. Pan American Games basketball team that won the gold medal.
In his final collegiate season (1959–60), West enjoyed several career highs, such as scoring 29.3 points per game, a 134 season-assists, 16.5 rebounds per game, and a shooting average of 50.4% from the field, 76.6% from the free throw line. He was honored again with several awards: a call-up to the All-America selection, and being voted Southern Conference MVP West’s best performance was a game against Virginia, in which he grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 40 points. Moreover, during that final year, he had 30 double-doubles and fifteen 30-point games. In his collegiate career, West totaled 2,309 points and 1,240 rebounds. He averaged 24.8 points per game and 13.3 rebounds.[19] As of 2011, West holds 12 WVU all-time records. West and Oscar Robertson co-captained the U.S. men’s basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
In addition to all these accolades, West has been honored by the WVU with an impressive statue which stands outside the West Virginia University Coliseum.
So it’s only fitting that the Mountaineers will remember West’s career at WVU by having the Mountaineers wear a West patch on their jerseys for the 2024-25 season. The patch is a circle, in WVU blue with gold lettering. It reads “WEST” above the No. 44.
The patch will be worn above the maker’s mark on the upper right chest.
The team put together a short video showing the placing of the patch and the stitching of the patch:
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) October 9, 2024
West was obviously an important figure for the Mountaineers, and clearly he was beloved by the University. So it’s fitting the team will honor his memory this way.
West also probably also has a unique distinction, uniform-wise, in sports. His name was on the front of his jersey, both at West Virginia and in the NBA, with his selection to the NBA All-Star team representing the West(ern) Conference.
RIP Mr. West. You’ll be fondly remembered, and generations of youngsters may one day ask, “Who’s that on the NBA logo?” Why, it’s Jerry West. Mr. Clutch.
What would be even cooler is if the team used the “WEST VIRGINIA” wordmark on their jerseys all season, then put the word “WEST” in a more contrasting color than the word “VIRGINIA”. Just a thought.