Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: West on doorstep of men's basketball steals record
12/2/2020 9:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Word on the Herd
Senior guard can catch Skip Henderson on Thursday night
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dan D'Antoni scored 1,109 points in his Marshall career, which ranks No. 42 all-time. The 73-year-old men's basketball coach, now in his seventh season with the Thundering Herd, might've not reached a milestone in the '60s had Jarrod West roamed the hardwood back then.
"I'm glad I got my thousand points before he started guarding," D'Antoni said this week.
West, a senior guard from Clarksburg, West Virginia, has cultivated a reputation for defense from the moment he stepped on campus. He earned the Charlie Slack Tough Man Award after his freshman season. He set the program's single season steals record as a sophomore. He was a Conference USA All-Defensive Team selection after his junior campaign.
Now, West is one steal away from tying Skip Henderson for Marshall's all-time record, a feat that is well within reach when the Herd (1-0) plays at Wright State (0-0) on Thursday night at 7 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
West, who had five steals in a season opening win against Arkansas State last Friday, has 207 career steals. Henderson had 208 steals from 1984-88.
"It's very humbling and I'm very grateful and thankful just to be able to play," West said. "Being here for four years, I've played a lot of games and I've had a lot of opportunities."
West later added that he "takes a lot of pride" in defense.
It's easy to notice.
West had 57 steals as a collegiate rookie, 80 as a sophomore and 65 last season. Those numbers are tied for 11th, tied for sixth and first in a single season in Marshall history.
It is time to take notice of the all-time steals list in Conference USA, too. West passed UAB's Paul Delaney (205 from 2005-09) last Friday for ninth in C-USA history. Next up is UTEP's Julyan Stone (209, 2008-11) and UCF's A.J. Rompza (211, 2009-12). If West can simply duplicate last season's steals total – no guarantee in a season without a given number of games – he will sail to the league's career record.
"He's a warrior," D'Antoni said. "He's a lot bigger than you think he is. You register him at 5-10 but he reaches 6-2. He's a long player. You don't realize that. He's longer than his height than Taevion (Kinsey) is to his. That's one of the reasons he's as effective as he is. The other is that he is strong. The other one is he has a strong heart. He gets into you. He takes pride in what he's doing. He's a tough, tough nut."
West has had a penchant for creating steals when it matters most. He had four as a freshman in Marshall's NCAA Tournament win against Wichita State. He swiped 13 in four games of the CIT championship run the next season. He routinely draws the assignment of the opposing team's best offensive perimeter player … and relishes the challenge.
"The good thing for me is defense was never optional for me growing up," West said. "It's something I like to hang my hat on.
"Obviously, when you think about Marshall and you think about Coach Dan, you think about offense. That's your first thought, for sure. It's good for our team that I have a defensive mindset. It's easier for the other guys to follow my lead if I bring that mentality and that kind of energy to the defensive end."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
