By JACOB POLACHECK
Marshall grad transfer Jarrod West may be nearing a commitment, he told ZAGSBLOG Wednesday.
“Sooner rather than later,” he said on a timetable. “Not really a specific time, but I’d like to get it done sooner rather than later.”
West, a 5-foot-11, 181-pound point guard out of Clarksburg, WV, averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game during the 2020-21 season, earning Second Team All-Conference USA honors.
He was also named to the Conference USA All-Defensive Team and the All-Academic Team.
“I have a high-motor,” West said. “I’m a hard worker and a competitive person for sure, someone that gives it all they have and has a strong work ethic.
“Defensively, I can guard my position at a very high level. On offense, I can create. I can shoot. I can handle the ball. I can run the pick-and-roll. I can run an offense and I can lead a team.”
Since entering the transfer portal on March 22, West has been a popular option for schools looking to bolster its backcourt, with 14 schools reaching out:
“Louisville, Ohio State, Florida, Pitt, Rhode Island, Georgetown, Wichita State, Texas, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Duquesne, Maryland, Miami and Washington State,” he said.
Among the 14 schools, West says Pitt, Louisville, Rhode Island and Wichita State have extended offers.
“A lot of schools have heavy interest,” he said. “It’s hard to tell. It’s not like high school where coaches are like ‘yeah, we’re offering you a scholarship’.”
He broke down all four schools:
Pitt: “First of all, Jeff Capel is a great coach that comes from a great [coaching] tree. He’s just a great person. You can tell he’s a great person. I just thought he was real honest with me. He told me where I would fit. They’re obviously in the ACC and they’ve got a good program. They got good players and I thought they had a really good pitch.”
Louisville: “Obviously they’ve got coach Chris Mack and he’s also a great coach. He’s been successful at multiple schools now. It’s kind of the same thing. They feel like I’m a good fit. They feel like they have a lot of the pieces to win and compete for championships. They think I’m going to have an opportunity to get on the floor. Obviously, they’re in the ACC as well.”
Rhode Island: “They’re in A-10. I like coach [David] Cox. He’s got a lot of energy, for sure. They play with small guards as well and don’t care if their guards are small. They’ve had successful small guards in the past. They’re losing Fatts Russell, so they said they need somebody that could come in and be ready to go from the jump.”
Wichita State: “They’re in the American Conference. They won the league and made the NCAA Tournament. They’re losing their point guard as well. They feel like they’ve got a really good team built in already. They just need a point guard and then they feel like they can make another tournament run next season.”
With a decision coming sooner rather than later, West says he’s looking for the chance to ‘play at the highest level and contribute to a winning program’.
“I want to compete for a national championship,” he said. “That’s really important to me, so I just want an opportunity where I can contribute on a winning program that has the chance to compete for a conference championship and a national championship.”
Photo: Marshall Athletics
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