Today is day nine of the Southern Conference’s 10-day preview leading up to the induction ceremony on May 4 of the inaugural 10 inductees in the 2009 SoCon Hall of Fame class. The ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. (EDT) at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, S.C., where the conference office is located.
Today’s highlighted inductee is West Virginia’s Jerry West.
Jerry West
West Virginia University
Men’s Basketball
1956-1960
A three-time All-American at West Virginia, Jerry West was a two-time SoCon Male Athlete of the Year honoree and was twice named the conference’s Basketball Player of the Year. He set 17 different records at WVU and helped guide the Mountaineers to three NCAA Tournament berths. West went on to spend 14 years in the NBA where he helped the Los Angeles Lakers capture the 1972 NBA Championship.
- SoCon Player of the Year, 1959 and 1960.
- Three-time MVP of SoCon tournament.
- Scored 2,309 points at West Virginia, averaging 24.8 per game.
- His teams won 32 of 34 conference games.
- Started for gold medal-winning USA team in 1960 Olympics.
- Named NBA All-Star in all 14 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers.
- Earned nickname “Mr. Clutch” for late game heroics.
- Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame, 1980.
Tickets for the event are available through the Chapman Center ticket office at 864-542-2787 or visiting the Chapman Cultural Center website.