Jerry West

Jerry West led West Virginia to the 1959 NCAA championship game and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player despite the loss.

Jerry Alan West was born in Chelyan, West Virginia in 1938. He attended West Virginia University and became the greatest player in the school's history. His college career produced 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game across three seasons. He led West Virginia to the 1959 national championship game, where they lost to Pete Newell's California team — West was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player despite being on the losing side, one of very few players in history to receive that honour in a losing cause. He was a two-time consensus All-American. He won Olympic gold with the USA at Rome 1960 alongside Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Darrall Imhoff. Los Angeles Lakers selected him second overall in the 1960 NBA Draft. His West Virginia career — the tournament MOP, the All-American selections and the pride of an entire state — established the competitive intensity and clutch ability that would define his entire career. His silhouette became the NBA logo, but before that it represented West Virginia basketball at its absolute peak.

West was known for his exceptional shooting ability, particularly from long range, which was unusual for his era. He possessed remarkable court vision and ball-handling skills, combined with fierce competitiveness and clutch performance in pressure situations.

West revolutionized the guard position with his combination of scoring and playmaking ability, setting the standard for future generations of basketball players.

• Final Four Most Outstanding Player 1959
• 2x consensus first-team All-American 1959, 1960
• 1960 Olympic gold medalist