By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

David West has already solidified his place in Xavier's record books. The question now is whether his accomplishments will merit having his No. 30 jersey retired.

His statistics certainly make a strong case. The senior forward will finish as the school's No. 2 all-time scorer behind guard Byron Larkin, who scored 2,696 points from 1984-88. West has 1,975 career points with four regular-season games remaining, plus postseason conference and NCAA tournament games. He averages 20.3 points per game, and should pass No. 2 Tyrone Hill (2,003 points) sometime in the next two games.

West will also finish no lower than third all-time on XU's rebounding list, behind Hill (1,380) and Bob Pelkington (1,325). West has 1,221 rebounds and could surpass Pelkington if Xavier keeps advancing in the NCAA Tournament.

West already holds the school record for blocked shots (213), free throws made (604) and free throws attempted (802).

And if West, a serious National Player of the Year candidate, is named as an Associated Press First-Team All-American, he will be the first Musketeer to receive such an honor.

Before this season, he became Xavier's first Preseason AP All-American, and last season the AP named West a second-team All-American.

West burst back onto the national stage Feb. 8 when he scored 47 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a first-place game against Dayton, earning National Player of the Week honors.

That game, combined with 16 other double-doubles this season, pushed him back into the Player of the Year race.

So will another player ever wear No. 30?

Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski isn't saying.

"We're aware of the case that David has made (to have his number retired)," Bobinski said. "Nobody knows anything right now. Let's just leave it at that."

There are precedents. Xavier retired Larkin's No. 23 in 1990, two years after he finished playing. Hill's No. 42 was retired in 1996, six years after he ended his XU career.

If Xavier does retire West's number, the logical date would be March 8 against Temple. That's Xavier's final regular-season game, as well as West's farewell game at Cintas Center.

"We haven't heard anything," said West's mother, Harriett West, in Garner, N.C. "But everyone (from the family) will be there for the Temple game."

Bobinski said he'll entertain discussions about West's jersey retirement after the Saint Joseph's game March 5 in Philadelphia.

And as for West's feelings? The forward says he hasn't put much thought into retiring his jersey.

"It's not a big deal right now," West said. "Hopefully it will get done someday."

But it doesn't matter to West when it happens, even if it is next year or the year after.

"Or even 30 years from now," West said.

West's statistics certainly compare very favorably with Hill's. Hill, a forward, finished his career with 67 double-doubles, the all-time school record. West currently has 63. When West reaches the 2,000-point mark, he and Hill will be the only two Xavier players to have scored 2,000 points and grabbed 1,000 rebounds.

West hasn't taken his team deep into the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Xavier advanced to the second round, the farthest in West's career.

Hill's 1990 team made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to Texas.

Hill and Larkin both played in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, competitively a notch below the Atlantic 10. West is expected to become the first three-time A-10 Player of the Year after this season.

He's the conference's all-time leading rebounder and holds the 10th spot on the scoring list.

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

David West's case to retire No. 30

Category	Total	Ranking	Who's ahead of West
Points	1,975	3rd at XU	Tyrone Hill (2,003), Byron Larkin (2,696)
Rebounds	1,221	3rd at XU	Bob Pelkington (1,325), Tyrone Hill (1,380)
Blocked shots	213	1st at XU	-
Double-doubles	63	2nd at XU	Tyrone Hill (67)
Free throws made	604	1st at XU	-
Free throws attempted	802	1st at XU	-
Most points in a game	47	2nd at XU	Steve Thomas (50)
Career starts	118	2nd at XU	Jamie Gladden (121)
A-10 Player of the Week	12 times	1st at XU & A-10	-

*West has four regular-season games left in addition to postseason conference and NCAA tournament games. His current season averages are 20.3 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He is Xavier's only preseason AP All-American. Last season, he became Xavier's first AP postseason second-team All-American.

Retired numbers: Byron Larkin, 23; Tyrone Hill, 42