MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Senior Associate Athletic Director/Executive Director of the Mountaineer Athletic Club Matt Borman announced today the establishment of The Jerry West Basketball Scholarship.

 

The endowment will provide a yearly scholarship for a men’s basketball student-athlete.

 

“Jerry West is synonymous with WVU basketball, and we are thrilled to provide this scholarship to a deserving Mountaineer in his honor,” said Borman.

 

“Jerry West’s name will always be forever linked with West Virginia basketball,” said coach Bob Huggins. “Jerry has done so much for the sport of basketball, for West Virginia University and for the great state of West Virginia. It will truly be an honor for a Mountaineer basketball player to be the recipient of the Jerry West Basketball Scholarship each season.”

 

Three West Virginia natives – Rick McCormick, Joe Subrick and Jim Justice, Sr. – established the endowment in honor of their friend, Jerry, and their combined respect for the famed NBA and WVU Hall of Fame athlete.

 

“Jerry means so much to the state of West Virginia and West Virginia University,” said Subrick, a 1975 graduate of the WVU College of Business and Economics and a real estate and energy developer. “While he is best known for his NBA career, Jerry possesses a unique skill set and he would have been very highly successful in any profession of his choosing.

 

“No matter where his career has taken him, Jerry has never wavered in his love and support for the state of West Virginia, the people of West Virginia and West Virginia University. We are all happy to honor him in this way.”

 

The most famous athlete to wear the Gold and Blue, West, a native of Cheylan, West Virginia, led the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament final in 1959. He was drafted by and played 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. He worked in several capacities in the NBA following the end of his playing career, including serving as the Lakers’ general manager and president, as well as the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies. West currently serves as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors, the 2015 NBA Western Conference champions.

 

The gift was made in conjunction with A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University. The $1 billion comprehensive campaign being conducted by the WVU Foundation on behalf of the University runs through December 2017.