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30 greatest college basketball players this century

By Cody Williams

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 23: J.J. Redick #4 of the Duke Blue Devils walks down the court during their Preseason NIT game against the Drexel Dragons at Madison Square Garden on November 23, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 23: J.J. Redick #4 of the Duke Blue Devils walks down the court during their Preseason NIT game against the Drexel Dragons at Madison Square Garden on November 23, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /
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28. David West, Xavier (1999-2003)

  • 2003 AP Player of the Year
  • 2003 Consensus First-Team All-American (Second-Team in 2002)
  • 3-Time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year

Most basketball fans are familiar with David West for his NBA career, bouncing around the league at several stops and surviving multiple iterations of the league in the 21st century while remaining effective. Before his pro career, however, West was an absolute star for the Xavier Musketeers and among the best player that the Atlantic 10 has ever seen.

Though West made an impact as a freshman (11.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks averages), what he did in that first season with the Musketeers was far less than his next three years in which he won conference player of the year honors in each.

As a sophomore, West was monstrous with per-game averages of 17.8 points, 10.9 points, 2.1 blocks, 1.4 steals and two assists. He then followed that up as a junior by putting up 18.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.2 steals and 1.6 assists per game.

The final year of West’s collegiate career was his best as he averaged 20.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.3 steals and 3.2 assists per game. All of this also came while West shot over 50 percent from the field in every season in his college career.

There’s no denying West’s individual production, but his Xavier teams’ lack of overall success hurts his resume for this list. He and the Musketeers never made it past the Second Round in the NCAA Tournament, which ultimately places him at No. 28.