Louisville basketball is in the final three for Marshall graduate transfer Jarrod West. Everything you need to know ahead of his Wednesday commitment.
The next domino in the wild offseason for Louisville basketball is about to fall.
After it leaked that two assistant coaches will not have their contracts renewed next month, Louisville basketball commits Eric Van der Heijden and Bobby Pettiford were released from their National Letters of Intent.
We know that Louisville will return super senior Malik Williams and brings in Miami transfer Matt Cross. Additionally, there have been rumors circulating about players like Samuell Williamson and Josh Nickelberry entering the transfer portal.
Louisville guard duo Carlik Jones and David Johnson are still making decisions on whether or not to return to school next season.
Now, there are, quite literally, over a thousand players looking to take advantage of a one-time sit out transfer rule this offseason.
One of the players that Louisville basketball has narrowed its sights on is Marshall grad transfer Jarrod West.
The West Virginia native is down to a final three of Ohio State, Pitt, and the Cards.
The Good
West was the 3rd-leading scorer, and leader in assists and steals on a Marshall team that finished 5th in Conference USA in 2020-21.
One of the better defenders in C-USA, West has the 4th-most steals among all active players in Division I.
West increased his steals numbers each season with the Thundering Herd, finishing with 2.5 a game this year. In 2020-21, West had 15 games with double-digit takeaways. For comparison’s sake, Louisville’s Carlik Jones had 7 such games.
A solid three-point shooter, West shot 41 percent from deep, hitting two threes per game last season. He is a career 38 percent three point shooter.
What are some of the intangibles that West brings to the table? To get a fresh perspective on his fit with the Cards, I reached out to one of the people closest to the situation- Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com.
“With Jarrod, I think people will see his height and question things but man, this kid can absolutely hoop,” said Weingarten. “One thing when I’m scouting, I look at IQ and consistency. I feel like the players feel for a game is the most important trait, and Jarrod West has this feel for the game that made him a successful 1,000-point scorer at Marshall. (He’s a) defensive threat, averaged over 2 steals per game in multiple seasons, great shooter at 45%, and doesn’t shy away from grabbing rebounds.”
The Bad
As Weingarten alluded to, a major concern if you’re a Louisville basketball fan, is West’s size. We’ve seen with Carlik Jones, Christen Cunningham, and Ryan McMahon that small guards can find success in Chris Mack’s system. However, there are going to be limitations for smaller guards in a pack line defense and an offense that requires guards to be athletic playmakers.
At 5’11,” West would be yet another sub six-foot grad transfer to come through the program after Mack almost exclusively recruited bigger, David Johnson-style guards at Xavier.
Additionally, bigger guards have had more success of recent in the postseason. If you look across the college basketball landscape, every team that made a deep run this march was led by large guard tandems. Davion Mitchell, Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, Quinten Grimes, and more are all well over 6 feet.
Size is not everything, but if Louisville wants to get out of a rut where postseason success has been hard to come by, it needs to be highly prioritized.
West essentially serves as a replacement for the 6’1,” four-star Pettiford who just pledged to Kansas. While West may be more of an immediate help, he doesn’t feel like a massive step up from what Pettiford brought to the table. If Louisville let Pettiford- or even encouraged him to- walk, West is not exactly a sexy name as a replacement. Perhaps he would be of immediate assistance, but a one-and-done season from West puts Louisville squarely back in the same predicament next season.
Given the sheer number of players that are pouring into the transfer portal, perhaps it would behoove Louisville basketball to seek out a player who has more years of eligibility under his belt.
The Verdict
If West does commit to Louisville basketball, my hope would be that its because the Cardinals staff knows more than we do in regards to the futures of Jones and Johnson.
If Jones or Johnson- or both- stay and the Cards add a presumed starter in El Ellis and a hybrid wing in Matt Cross, bringing in West as a role player makes sense.
“As far as what he’s looking for, I don’t think he’s thinking he’s gonna come in and be “the” man,” said Weingarten. “He knows his role. He will do whatever is asked of him, and I believe he will thrive wherever he lands.”
My take away from this is that West is willing to sacrifice “starter” minutes for a little more exposure at a higher level and a chance to compete for an ACC and NCAA Tournament title.
“Coach Mack thinks I’m a great fit and they have made it clear they want me,” West told Weingarten last week. “They believe they have the team to win the ACC and compete for a national championship. He also thinks I’m gonna have a great opportunity to come in a contribute.”
A role player or day one starter?
The way West worded his response doesn’t sound like a player trying to come in and soak up the spotlight. For that reason, I feel that he would fit in Louisville. However, this fit would be in a specific role. A sixth-man type of player who can come off the bench, bring defensive energy, leadership, and some much-needed three-point shooting.
However, to think of West as a replacement for Jones, Johnson, or even Pettiford would be a massive letdown.
West is great fit as a role player, but a disappointing pick-up if the staff pictures him as a future starter.
Stay locked in to State of Louisville for more news and reactions to Jarrod West’s decision on Wednesday.
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