By Garrett Kroeger

NATCHEZ — In Natchez, Jarrod West Sr. is known for being a dominant basketball player for Cathedral School. He was All-District 1A and was named Most Valuable Player for the Green Wave. Plus in 1993-94, he was the Catholic Schools of Mississippi Athlete of the Year. Ultimately though, West Sr. is best known for a shot that happened 20 years ago.

On March 14, 1998, when West Sr. banked in a 3-point field goal attempt in the final second to give the West Virginia Mountaineers a one point victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats. That Cincinnati team was coached by Bob Huggins, who is now the coach at West Virginia.

Today, West Sr. is the boys basketball coach at Notre Dame High School in Clarksburg, W.Va. But currently, the former Green Wave and Mountaineer is in San Diego waiting eagerly to see his son Jarrod West Jr. and the Marshall Thundering Herd play for a shot to advance to the school’s first Sweet 16.

The foe, West Virginia and Huggins.

“It is crazy,” West Sr. said. “But that is just how it happened.”

The older West watched from a hotel lobby in Charleston, W. Va. Friday as his son scored 10 points and a made pair of threes to upset the 4-seed Wichita State Shockers, 81-75. And one of West Jr.’s threes was a bigtime one just like his dad’s.

The Shockers led for the majority of the game, until junior forward Ajdin Penava hit the go ahead bucket for the Herd with 3:50 left in the game. Then 40 seconds after, West Jr. nailed a three to give Marshall a 74-70 lead.

The elder West played in 110 games at West Virginia and finished with 700 points, 280 assists, and 148 steals in his four-year career. However, he only made one NCAA appearance. His son on the other hand helped Marshall make its first NCAA Tournament since 1987 and get its first win in six appearances in the event. Plus, West Jr. helped guide the Herd to become the 27th 13-seed to beat a 4-seed since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

West Jr. is one of the main reasons for the Herd’s successful seasons. He was a two-time All-State performer at Notre Dame High School under the tutelage of his dad and is averaging 7.9 points and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 41.4 percent from behind the arc during his first collegiate season.

While West Jr. is enjoying a solid freshman season, this past year has been one for the books in terms of his career. During his senior season at Notre Dame, West Jr. won a state championship and become the first Class A player to win West Virginia’s player of the year since 1984.

“He has had a good 365 days,” West Sr. said

Despite those accolades, West Jr. wasn’t really recruited that heavily by Huggins and the Mountaineers. And at 8:40 p.m. today on TBS, he will have a shot to prove West Virginia made a mistake.

“I think he is more worried about the game,” West Sr. said. “West Virginia didn’t recruit him much when he graduated, so he might have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but he is more focused on (today’s) game.”

Even though the younger West has an opportunity to make history against his father’s alma mater, West Sr. is on the green and white train when the ball is tipped and believes the Herd will have a strong chance if they don’t turn over the ball and if they continue their hot shooting.

“I bleed green and white,” West Sr. said. “My ties are with Marshall. I will root for West Virginia when they are not playing Marshall.”