Published: June 08, 2008 02:03 am      

COLUMN: West says Alexander has great future

MORGANTOWN — Jerry West thinks Joe Alexander faces a great future as a player in the National Basketball Association, but he believes the talented 6-8, 230-pound forward would benefit from another year at West Virginia University.

Hot Rod Hundley agrees with the man who followed him back here in the late 1950s as Mountaineer superstars. Those two are regarded generally as the greatest players in school history.

Both legends have talked to Alexander, who is testing NBA waters, urging him to return for his senior year of collegiate competition. They’re in Morgantown this weekend helping out at the first annual Bob Huggins Fantasy Camp at the Coliseum.

“I talked to him and his father on two occasions,” West said on Saturday. “I tried to tell him what the NBA process was about. I think his background is probably pretty naïve about this not having played much basketball.”

But the former player, coach and franchise executive of the Los Angeles Lakers, who retired a year ago as president of the Memphis Grizzlies, doesn’t think that’s going to be a problem with Alexander getting drafted this year.

“It’s not like digging a ditch,” West said. “It’s a pretty simple process. If somebody likes you enough, they’re going to draft you.”

Like numerous others, he thinks the youngster would be a first-round pick now.

But he believes he could be drafted even higher a year hence, especially if he continues to improve as much as he did this past season under Coach Huggins.

Alexander showed steady improvement during WVU’s final dozen games or so. Since March 1, his soaring scoring average ranked him fourth in the nation among all Division I players. Huntington’s O.J. Mayo, who opted for the 2008 draft after playing just one year at Southern Cal, rounded out the top five.

“If Joe hadn’t had that improvement, I don’t think he would even be considering being a person in this year’s draft.” West said. “A lot of things he didn’t understand. But, athletically, he really fit in. All the testing he did down in Florida (with 2008 draft elite), he was the second highest rated guy there.

“When you look at him, you see this enormous physical talent. But sometimes that’s not good enough. Experience. Knowledge of the game. And he’s played so little that I talked about it and the improvement he made.”

West emphasized that he truly believes in the kid and not just because he happens to be from West Virginia. It’s his talent and competitiveness that impresses the school’s all-time greatest player the most.

“I thought maybe if he could come back to school, he would be maybe one of the Top 5 picks in the 2009 NBA draft,” the Kanawha County native reasoned, “if he continues to show that improvement.

“But I’m not sure that’s what Joe wants to do. I think he’ll probably be pleasantly surprised after he works out with the teams. With his tremendous athletic ability, someone is going to draft him. In the NBA, they do that — on that alone.

“And in watching him, he’s so quiet and yet he’s a tough kid. He’s really not someone who’s going to back down from anyone. He’s not going to back down from hard work either. But playing more (in college) and being exposed to it more, I think in the new game there are things he’s going to be frustrated with.”

West sizes up Alexander as a very, very impressive person and thinks he’s very determined to play against the very best players around. And that includes the top professionals.

Alexander still has another week or so to keep his name on the draft list or withdraw and decide to rejoin his Mountaineer teammates for his senior season.

“I do think he could be a Top 10 pick,” West said. “All he needs is for one person (NBA coach or executive) to like him in working out with the teams.”