Incoming Northwestern Freshman Named Finalist for Mr. Basketball Award
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Northwestern's crop of incoming freshmen is ranked No. 21 in the nation by 247Sports. Needless to say, that's an incredibly exciting proposition for Northwestern fans looking into the future. One member of the class, guard Jake West, is on the verge of adding to his resume before he even gets to campus.
The 6-foot-3 play-maker is one of the finalists for Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball alongside K.J. Cochran and a few others. According to 247, West is the No. 133 player in the 2025 class while Cochran, a Santa Clara commit, is ranked No. 129.
West averaged 18.2 points per game in his final season of high school ball to Cochran's 21.7. Northwestern's finalist shared a post today on X comparing the two that also lists the voting deadline as May 15.
Go vote me for Mr PA basketball 💜💜 https://t.co/4Q5fHP2MyI
— Jake West (@JakeWest_3) May 7, 2025
West is listed as a combo guard on 247, and his eventual role with the 'Cats is unclear. He has the size to compete with other point guards in the conference, but depending on how his jumper develops and how Northwestern's roster develops, he could end up primarily playing the two.
The rotation is crowded this upcoming season with K.J. Windham, Jordan Clayton and Jayden Reid all probably blocking West from getting much run. But, you never know. Head coach Chris Collins was willing to give freshmen minutes in conference action last season, so if West impresses, Collins will probably find a role for him.
Northwestern has had good luck with Mr. Basketball finalists in the past. The heart and soul of last year's team, Brooks Barnhizer, was a finalist in Indiana before his four-year career with the 'Cats.
If West turns into anything even close to what Barnhizer was for this program, then Northwestern will be over the moon.
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Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.