Doug West joins coaching staff

Doug West will return to Villanova as an assistant basketball coach next season, the university announced this month.

West starred for the Wildcats from 1985-1989, and led the 'Cats to an Elite Eight trip in 1988. West is also in fourth-place on the all-time Wildcats scoring record book, with 2,037 points.

After graduating in 1989, West was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played nine seasons in the NBA.

West spent last season as an assistant coach for the Duquesne women's basketball team in Pittsburgh.

West said he was excited about the chance to join the Villanova coaching staff:

It's something I have thought about for a long time. I have watched this team up close and from afar. I bleed blue and white and this is a chance for me to contribute in another way. I am very happy to be here.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright praised West's experience and background:

We are thrilled to have another member of the Villanova basketball alumni family join our staff. Doug is a great addition to our staff because of his experience in the NBA and, most importantly, for the pride he takes in being a part of the Villanova basketball program.

Villanova's unusual connection with the state of Minnesota continues: West, a former Timberwolf himself, replaces former assistant and 1985-title star Ed Pinckney, who left Jay Wright's bench this fall for an assistant coaching position on the Timberwolves.

Pinckney will once again coach former Villanova star Randy Foye, a starting guard for the Timberwolves.

Howard Porter, the former Villanova great, was also found murdered in Minneapolis this spring. Porter had been working in Minnesota as a parole officer.