Published: May 07, 2008 11:31 pm         

West’s goal: Get heavier, stronger

MORGANTOWN — Jonnie West put on some weight as a redshirt freshman this past season and now tips the scales at 180 pounds.

But the 6-foot-3 guard said recently he expects to gain more weight and become stronger this summer so hopefully he will be able to earn more playing time next year.

His father, the legendary Jerry West, was 6-3 and 175 pounds when he became the greatest player in school history in 1957-60.

Young Jonnie is aware of those stats.

“I’ve been told that we have the same body type, and hopefully, I’ll fill out some,” he commented. “Who knows?”

Make no mistake, though, approaching or matching his dad’s record-breaking achievements isn’t among the son’s goals.

“I just want to get stronger and continue working on my skills,” he said. “That’s my goal.”

West, whose shooting is still his chief attribute, made brief appearances in 23 games last season and logged only a combined total of 57 minutes. He made 8 of 21 shots from the field, just three of 13 from three-point range; made three of four free throws, and had 11 rebounds, 31 assists and 22 points.

He believes he can spend more time in the weight room, get bigger and stronger and contribute more to the team’s success.

“Coach (Bob) Huggins has talked to me about getting stronger,” he said. “We’ve talked a lot about that.

“I think that’s the big thing. Hopefully, I’ll develop more muscle and earn more playing time. We’re going to put a lot of work in the weight room like we did last year. And I think if we continue working like we have been, maybe we can be even more successful in 2008-09.”

In Huggins’ dazzling debut, the Mountaineers finished fifth in the Big East, gained the semifinals of the conference tournament, advanced to the NCAA tourney’s Sweet 16 and was ranked 17th in the final national poll.

“I think we picked up what coach Huggins wants, and I think we picked it up quickly,” West said. “We had some players who could do things coach Huggins wanted. I don’t think people realized how good we were as a team.

“To me, it was a surprise to a lot of people, but I don’t think it was to us. We listened to what coach Huggins said, and I thought we got better as the season moved along.”

Joe Mazzulla , 6-2 junior point guard, thinks West will be needed more as a sophomore.

“He has great shooting ability and he has a great knack for the game,” he said.

“We have a great conditioning staff and I’m sure they will help Jonnie get ready. He’ll get there.”

West said the style of basketball under Huggins is “completely different” from that of John Beilein, now the head coach at Michigan.

“We bought into the new system and it paid off. We’re having just as much fun playing basketball,” West said.

“We know what to expect, and we definitely have a lot of freedom.”