Hershell West

Hershell West (July 8, 1940 – January 28, 2023) was an American basketball player and coach. He played basketball at Eula D. Britton in his hometown of Rayville, Louisiana and won the Louisiana State AA Championship in 1959. Grambling State Tigers men's basketball head coach Fred Hobdy offered West and the four other Britton starters athletic scholarships to Grambling State after watching them play.[4] West played college basketball for the Tigers for four years, where he won a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship in 1961 and was a two-time first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) selection in 1962 and 1963.[5][6] In 1962, he and six other Tigers players participated in a goodwill tour of Latin America.[7]

Hershell West
Personal information
Born(1940-07-08)July 8, 1940[lower-alpha 1]
Rayville, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJanuary 28, 2023(2023-01-28) (aged 82)[lower-alpha 2]
Rayville, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolEula D. Britton (Rayville, Louisiana)
CollegeGrambling State (1959–1963)
NBA draft1963: 2nd round, 15th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
PositionGuard
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

West was selected in the 1963 NBA draft as the 15th overall pick by the Syracuse Nationals but he never played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became a basketball coach for Richwood High School in Louisiana, where he served as a mentor to future NBA player Larry Wright. West helped Wright transfer to the larger Western High School in Washington, D.C., where he became a highly recruited prospect.[8] Wright honored West by turning down other collegiate offers to attend Grambling State and play for the Tigers.[9]

West was an inaugural member of the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.[10]

West died on January 30, 2023,[1] in Rayville, Louisiana, after a short illness.[3]

Notes
  1. West's obituary uses the birth date of July 8, 1940.[1] Monroe Dispatch gives an alternative birth date of July 8, 1941.[2]
  2. West's obituary and Monroe Dispatch use the death date of January 28, 2023.[1][2] Grambling State University states that he died on January 30, 2023.[3]

References
  1. "Hershell West Obituary". Tennant Funeral Home. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  2. "Always in our Hearts". Monroe Dispatch. February 2, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  3. Boatright, T. Scott (February 1, 2023). "Former Grambling hoops great Hershell West dies at 82". Grambling State University. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  4. Stewart-Staten, Annie Ruth (July 3, 2014). "1959 champs paved the way for future teaems". The Richland Beacon-News. p. 6. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  5. Keise, Kevin (October 25, 2012). "GSU's 1961 men's basketball team finally gets rings". The Gramblinite. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  6. "Southwestern Athletic Conference". College Hoopedia. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  7. "Grambling Cagers Backbone of Touring Squad". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. July 19, 1962. p. 59. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  8. Mann, Jack (January 8, 1978). "The Super Subs". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  9. Letlow, Paul (June 23, 2018). "The Wright stuff: Championship success has been constant theme for Larry Wright". Crescent City Sports. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  10. "Grambling establishes Sports HOF". Los Angeles Sentinel. June 4, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
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