On Friday, the Hawai‘i Pacific men's basketball team is set to compete in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2017 and just the third time in program history. The Sharks will face Saint Martin's at Cal State East Bay for a 11:30 a.m. HST tipoff.
March promises to the most emotional month in the collegiate basketball world each year, and it's no different for the Sharks and their six seniors. Some are likely done with basketball, while others may explore professional opportunities. Whenever Joshua West decides his playing days are over, he'll have the comfort of knowing he gave everything he could to the game.
Born and raised in Chicago, West's college basketball options were limited to junior college and NCAA Division III offers. He chose to stay close to home, latching on with nearby Dominican University in Illinois. He made an immediate impact, earning all-conference and team MVP honors as a freshman. He went from averaging 12.6 points per game as a freshman to 17.6 points as a sophomore while committing 10 less turnovers in his second year.
All the while, West was working full-time at an Amazon warehouse, working four 10-hour shifts a week. NCAA Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, so West got the gig to put himself through school.
"Between paying for school and just cost of living, it was a grind between that and basketball," West recalled in a recent interview with Aloha State Daily. "You manage between classes and different practice times. It was obviously rough, but I was able to manage."
West said his typical shift was from around 1 a.m. to noon, and he estimates he was sleeping about four hours a night, but he'd try to take naps in his downtime when he could.
After his sophomore year at Dominican, West entered the NCAA transfer portal and got in contact with Hawai‘i Pacific through a connection with Sharks associate head coach Cam Flabel. HPU was able to offer West what he coveted — the scholarship he had worked so hard for.
In his junior season, West more than proved he could compete at the Division II level, averaging 15.6 points and 6.5 rebounds, starting all 19 games he played in. Following the year, West entered the portal again. About half a dozen Division I schools reached out. West contemplated making another jump before realizing he was happy at HPU.
"I think I weighed pretty much everything. My familiarity with the program, me graduating on time, location, all of the above," West said of his decision in recommitting.
West's senior season began with the school's biggest win in program history, a 79-78 win on the road at Division I Boise State. He scored a game-high 23 points with three rebounds, an assist and four steals in the winning effort. West had the performance despite dealing with cramps late in the game, including an infamous incident in which he was dragged off the floor by a Boise State trainer.
The Sharks (18-11) have been paced by West all season. His 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game paint just a portion of the picture. His consistent full effort on both ends of the floor has been an inspiration to his teammates and coaches.
"He really is a coach's dream," says Hawai‘i Pacific head coach Jesse Nakanishi. "On and off the court, he's so squared away, very humble and hardworking, and his leadership has just grown over two years. He plays so hard every minute of the game, every time, every play on both ends. That's the biggest thing I search for in players — their motor and how hard they play. He just makes very clutch plays on both ends, and he guards the best player every game. We expect him to score and distribute and run the team as well on the other end."
West's efforts have been recognized in the form of a first-team All-Pacific West Conference selection. On Thursday, he was also selected to the CCA All-Region second team, just one of three players in the PacWest recognized as one of the top players in the West Coast.
When asked where his effort of both ends of the floor comes from, West says he's had the same mentality in all areas of his life.
"I try to play for something that's bigger than myself. With sports, like anyone, whether it's a job or school, there's going to be days where you probably want to take a day off, or a play off, or you're not feeling it, but I just think, OK, people are watching who really support the program heavily," West said. "People are invested in us, my teammates, my coach. I think I just try to think about others, and that's enough to really keep me going 24/7. I'm giving my all."
As the Sharks look to make a deep run in the tournament, they can count on their leader to be ready to play. West will explore his prospects after the tournament but remains focused on the next opponent. Meanwhile, Nakanishi knows that when the season eventually ends, it'll be one of the toughest goodbyes he's had as a coach. And he's fine with that.
"You want to have those players that it is so hard to say goodbye," Nakanishi said of West. "They were so good and bought into everything you asked of them. (West) has got a bright, bright future ahead of him, whether it be continuing to play professionally, or whatever he chooses to do, because once he sets his mind to something, he really goes after it, and nothing's stopping him."
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
