Three-star recruit Jake West committed to Northwestern men’s basketball Oct. 15. The 6-foot-3 Pennsylvania native is a talented point guard, and he happens to be a social media sensation, too.
West excels as a playmaker and shooter. As a good on-ball defender who can finish on the rim, he will be an added weapon for NU’s backcourt next season.
West, who is Pennsylvania’s sixth-ranked recruit, began playing sports at age 5. West often went to parks with his father, who kept a ball in his hands. After trying soccer, baseball, football and lacrosse, it became clear that basketball was his passion in middle school. West began working with basketball trainers in the off-season, shooting hoops after a baseball game or soccer practice.
“He would take his cleats off and change into his basketball sneakers,” said West’s mother, Shannon West. “Even though he played other sports, he still worked on his basketball all year round.”
In addition to playing for his middle school basketball team, Jake West joined various AAU programs in the Pennsylvania area, playing for WE R1 and Team Final Red. He currently plays for Team Final and is the team captain of his high school team at William Penn Charter School.
Jake West’s high school coach, Brandon Williams, recruited him to Penn Charter for his junior year. Williams said that at the time, Jake West already had a strong toolkit of strengths to contribute to the team — among those being athleticism and sharpshooting. During the 2023-2024 season, Williams helped develop Jake West’s mentality more than his physical skills.
“I think the biggest growth in this game was just his maturity as far as being able to lead, being able to digest things on the fly and being able to understand things in heated moments and heated scenarios,” Williams said.
Williams recalled a championship game where his team was not performing up to standard. After halftime, Jake West took control of the game — but instead of being more aggressive with the ball, he set up plays for his teammate, 6’10 center and LSU commit Matt Gilhool.
Jake West’s leadership guided Penn Charter to secure the conference.
“He’s a non-selfish ball handler,” Gilhool said. “He plays his role, scores the ball well and can defend. I think he’s a dog.”
On and off the court, Jake West works to be both a leader and team player.
Shannon West said when local news outlets came to cover her son’s commitment to NU, Jake West pointed them to his teammates Gilhool and University of Minnesota commit Kai Shinholster, saying that all three of them should receive equal coverage.
“Playing the point guard position was good for him, because he’s just always looking out for others, making sure they’re part of the team, or they feel fun playing in the game,” Shannon West said.
Despite his success, Jake West’s basketball journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In the fall of eighth grade, he fractured his skull during practice, effectively keeping him from playing basketball for two months. The minute he was cleared, he was elbowed in the nose during a game, which caused a severe nosebleed and additional time away from basketball. Shannon West said her son’s love for the game pushes him to always compete and keep playing.
Off the court, Jake West’s empathetic and easygoing personality also shines in his social media presence. He often posts TikTok dances, sometimes with his teammates or mom. After a video of him dancing went viral in 2022, his TikTok account skyrocketed. He now has 1.5 million followers on TikTok and nearly 250,000 on Instagram.
Williams said groups of fans often attend Jake West’s games and wait outside of his practices, holding signs in support.
“It’s cool to know that you have a fan base and people that are always going to support you no matter what … to know that there’s people that depend on you and support you for your journey,” Jake West said.
Jake West said he felt nervous about people perceiving him as just a TikTok star early on in the college recruitment process. But as his game has progressed, his confidence has also grown.
“I know how much hard work I put in, and I’ve shown on multiple levels that I can compete,” Jake West said. “People’s other opinions shouldn’t matter. Mine should matter the most.”
The point guard said it was his dream at a young age to play college basketball. When touring NU on Oct. 4 and 5, he attended two practices, a team bonding hibachi dinner and the football game against Indiana University.
Jake West said he clicked well with players Luke Hunger, K.J. Windham and Angelo Ciaravino during the visit and is excited to play with them next season. He already feels connected to assistant coach Bryant McIntosh, who heavily recruited him last summer — Shannon West even said the two look and act alike.
Jake West’s next goal at NU is to make a deep March Madness run and build relationships with peers across campus.
“I just wanted the decision to be to meet all the requirements: amazing academic school, a great basketball program where they like to develop freshmen,” Jake West said. “I wanted to go somewhere I wanted to be for four years and have a family.”
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