Jake West's Breakout Season: Northwestern's New Face

0:00On April 24, Jake West, the 6 foot 3 freshman guard from Philadelphia, had a rollercoaster first season at Northwestern. He started slow but turned it around big time after the new year, locking down a starting spot in 17 straight games as a combo guard for the Wildcats. From the Rutgers matchup on, West averaged 7.4 points in 3.9 assists per game, hitting 36.8% from Deep. He became one of the team's top 3 point shooters and a smart playmaker, dishing out five or more assists in four of the last 13 games, including a high of 13 against Penn State. Fans and scouts noticed his low turnovers too, just one per game in that stretch, leading Northwestern and ranking 13th in the Big Ten. But early on he barely played, averaging 11.4 minutes in the first 13 games, struggling with the college game's physical side. His size held him back some on defense and scoring variety, making 45.1% of his shots

1:00from 3, more specialist than, all around guard. Still, he graded solid on both ends and player ratings, finishing 4th on the team. With the Transproportal shaking things up, West is now the main guy returning for next season, set to run the offense as the face of Northwestern. Hoops! If he balks up and adds moves, this Philly Kid could define the program.