Mark West (basketball)

Mark Andre West (born November 5, 1960) is an American retired professional basketball player. A center from Old Dominion University, West was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round (30th overall) of the 1983 NBA draft.

Mark West
Personal information
Born (1960-11-05) November 5, 1960
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolPetersburg (Petersburg, Virginia)
CollegeOld Dominion (1979–1983)
NBA draft1983 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Playing career1983–2000
PositionCenter
Number45, 43, 41
Career history
As player:
1983–1984Dallas Mavericks
1984Milwaukee Bucks
1984–1988Cleveland Cavaliers
1988–1994Phoenix Suns
1994–1996Detroit Pistons
1996–1997Cleveland Cavaliers
1997–1998Indiana Pacers
1999Atlanta Hawks
1999–2000Phoenix Suns
As coach:
2013–2015Phoenix Suns (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points6,259 (5.7 ppg)
Rebounds5,347 (4.9 rpg)
Blocks1,403 (1.3 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Representing  United States
World Championships
1982 ColombiaNational team

Early life

West was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky and was raised in Petersburg, Virginia.[1] He attended Petersburg High School.

College

West played four years at Old Dominion University (ODU) where he hauled down 1,113 career rebounds, shot 56 percent from the floor and scored 1,308 career points. In 1980 and 1982 West was named ECAC-South Tournament Most Valuable Player. He also led the nation in blocked shots in 1980 and 1981 and completed his career with 446 career blocks for a 3.8 per game average. He was declared an All-American three times.[1]

West performed three triple doubles (points, rebounds, blocked shots). He had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks on October 4, 1980. West then had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots against Wagner on Jan. 9, 1982. On Feb. 17, 1982, he scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. West is ODU's career double-double leader (points and rebounds) with 50. On Jan. 10, 1981, West help lead the Monarchs to a 63-62 upset win over then undefeated and number one ranked DePaul, in Chicago. During his four seasons at ODU, the Monarchs compiled an 80-37 record with two NCAA and two NIT appearances.

West graduated in 1983 with a degree in business administration with an emphasis on financial management, although he originally planned to focus on accounting.[2]

Career

As basketball player

West played 17 seasons in the NBA from 1983 to 2000 as a member of the Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks. West was a key player on the Phoenix Suns team that lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals.

West compiled 6,259 points and 5,347 rebounds in his NBA career and also ranks third all-time (behind Hall of Famers Artis Gilmore and Shaquille O'Neal) in career field-goal percentage (58.03%).[3]

He played for the US national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship, winning a silver medal.[4][5]

Additional career in athletics

In 2001, West was hired by the Phoenix Suns as assistant general manager.[1] On June 25, 2013, he was named an assistant coach to the Suns under head coach Jeff Hornacek.[6] In 2015, he also became the team's Director of Player Relations while continuing to perform some coaching duties.[7]

Other pursuits

West has been a licensed stockbroker since 1992[1] and in the 1990s became a partner at Prudential Securities in Phoenix.[2]

Honors and awards

In 1984, West's jersey number 45 was retired at his alma mater, Old Dominion University.[1] He was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. Old Dominion University honored West in 2000 as a distinguished alumnus.

West was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on April 22, 2006 and the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame in October 2004.

Personal life

West and his wife Elaina have two sons, Markus and Markyle.[1]

See also

References
  1. "45 Mark West". ODUSports.com.
  2. Key, Angela (July 19, 1999). "Exchanging the NBA for an MBA After the Game, Mark West Shoots for Growth Stocks". Fortune.
  3. "All-Time Field Goal Shooting". NBA.com. National Basketball Association.
  4. "1982 USA Basketball". USAB.com. USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 2002-06-07.
  5. "All-Time USA Basketball Men's Roster // W". USAB.com. USA Basketball. 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017. Mark West — 1982 WC: 7-2
  6. "New Suns coach Hornacek fills out staff". NBA.com. National Basketball Association. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013.
  7. Coro, Paul (May 29, 2015). "Suns make coaching staff changes, drop Kenny Gattison". AZcentral.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.