Jeffery Douglas "Doug" West (born May 27, 1967, in Altoona, Pennsylvania

Altoona, Pennsylvania

-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...

) is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player.

A 6'7" (198 cm) shooting guard

Shooting guard

The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

/small forward

Small forward

The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...

 from Villanova University

Villanova University

Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...

, West was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...

 in the second round of the 1989 NBA Draft

1989 NBA Draft

The 1989 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 1989 in New York City, New York, USA. It has been regarded as one of the worst drafts in NBA history, along with the 1986 NBA Draft and the 2000 NBA Draft. Though the draft produced talented players such as Shawn Kemp, Glen Rice, Sean Elliott, Nick...

. An athletic, well-rounded player who could score as well as defend, West became a regular starter for the Timberwolves during the 1991-92 NBA season

1991-92 NBA season

-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets*Defensive Player of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs...

, in which he averaged 14.0 points per game, appeared in the Gatorade

Gatorade

Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...

 Slam Dunk Championship

Slam Dunk Contest

The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, the same year the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA...

, and earned Timberwolves' Defensive Player of the Year Honors. The following season, he averaged a career high 19.3 points per game, and in 1995, he broke Tony Campbell

Tony Campbell

Anthony Campbell is a retired American NBA basketball player.Campbell played high school basketball at Teaneck High School in Teaneck. A 6'7" small forward out of Ohio State University, Campbell was selected 20th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1984 NBA Draft...

's team-record 4,888 points to become the Timberwolves' all-time leading scorer (a distinction now held by Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...

). West was an "original" Timberwolf, being drafted by the team in its first year of existence. He was the last of the original roster to remain on the team.

By the mid-1990s, injuries began to take their toll on West, and he was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...

 in exchange for Anthony Peeler

Anthony Peeler

Anthony Eugene Peeler is a retired American professional basketball player, having played for a number of NBA teams from 1992 to 2005...

 after the 1997-98 NBA season

1997-98 NBA season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals...

. West provided a veteran presence for the struggling young Grizzlies, but he saw very limited playing time, and he finally retired from the NBA in 2001. He had tallied career totals of 6,477 points, 1,670 rebounds, and 1,292 assists.

In the late 1990s, West suffered from depression and alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

, for which he sought treatment.

After the NBA, West spent two years coaching at a high school in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....

, and two years as an athletic director at a high school in Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. West was an assistant coach for the Duquesne University

Duquesne University

Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...

 women's basketball team for one season. West was named an assistant coach for the Villanova Wildcats

Villanova Wildcats men's basketball

This is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA...

, replacing Ed Pinckney

Ed Pinckney

Edward Lewis Pinckney is a retired NBA basketball player.- College career :A 6'9" forward, Pinckney led Villanova University to the NCAA title over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas in 1985...

on October 5, 2007.

External links

• Career Stats at basketball-reference.com
• Player Profile at Minnesota Timberwolves' Official Web Site
• Coach's Profile at Villanova University.