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West Drafted 18th by New Orleans Hornets
By
XU Wire,
6/23/2003
David West, 2003 Xavier University graduate and National Player of the Year, was selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the 18th overall selection in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
West, a 6-9 forward from Garner, N.C., is the first Xavier player to be drafted since James Posey was selected in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft with the 18th overall selection by the Denver Nuggets. Xavier has had 32 players drafted by the NBA in its history, including six selections in the first or second round since 1990.
West is the eighth Xavier alum ever selected in the first round or second round, joining first round selections Posey, Tyrone Hill (“lottery pick” at no. 11 by Golden State in 1990) and Brian Grant (“lottery pick” at an XU school record no. 8 by Sacramento in 1994). XU’s four all-time second round selections were Torraye Braggs (57th overall by Utah in 1998), Derek Strong (47th overall by Philadelphia in 1990), Vic Fleming (26th overall by Portland in 1984) and Bob Quick (18th overall by Baltimore in 1968).
David West will become the ninth former Xavier player to play in the NBA since the 1993 season and will join four fellow alums who are still in the league: Tyrone Hill (Philadelphia; entering his 14th season), Brian Grant (Miami; entering his ninth season), Aaron Williams (2003 Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey; entering his 10th season) and James Posey (Houston; entering his fifth season).
West earned a long list of national honors this season, including National Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press, the United States Basketball Writers Association and Basketball Times magazine. In addition, West was the 2003 winner of the Senior CLASS Award, which honors the top senior player in the nation and the 2003 NABC/Pete Newell Big Man Award. It's interesting to note that West collected most of that hardware in person at the 2003 Final Four in New Orleans.
West, who was the first player in Atlantic 10 history to be named Player of the Year three times, also became the only player in Atlantic 10 history to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He averaged 20.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as a senior in leading Xavier to a 26-6 overall record, the regular season conference championship and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
West, who earned his college degree in December, earned First Team All-American honors from every major media organization, including the AP, the USBWA, the Wooden Award, and the NABC among others.
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