Isaiah West's toughness and resiliency led him to stay home at Vanderbilt

Isaiah West walks out of the locker room without a heavy knee brace, plays with a certain level of freedom, and shows flashes of explosiveness.

That statement isn’t just a synopsis of the Vanderbilt signee’s tools, it’s more than that. What West showed in Friday night’s win over Mount Juliet Christian is more of a testament to his resilience and mental toughness than any part of his game.

Just over a year ago the Goodpasture Christian guard suffered what his head coach Adam Sonn described as a “devastating injury,” the then junior had suffered a torn ACL.

As West moves forward a year after his injury, he feels the most progress mentally.

“It was kinda hard for me coming back to start but the more and more I play, the more I don’t think about my knee, I don’t feel it as much.” the 6-foot-3 guard said.

Sonn also senses that progress.

“It was really when his mind got back, I think we’ve seen parts of the old Isaiah this month, in particular.” the Goodpasture head coach said “I would say since mid December we started seeing a little difference, even at the turn of this new year we’ve seen another gear.”

West’s coach is encouraged by his progress, but certainly isn’t shocked.

“He’s one of the most coachable, hard working, and resilient players I’ve coached, the resiliency piece doesn’t surprise me.” Sonn added.

Those traits were also clear to Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse and his staff, who offered the local recruit in May of his sophomore season.

“I think his toughness and his approach is really what stood out to me." Stackhouse said after signing day.

It’s easy to see why Stackhouse drew that conclusion. When asked about how much of his game revolves around toughness, West had a simple answer “All of it.”

“Whatever it is I’m gonna do it, I consider it not just physical toughness but also mental toughness.” the high-school guard added.

Vanderbilt’s staff quickly made West staying home their top recruiting priority and eventually landed the highly-touted guard over a multitude of other high-major programs.

Despite the other attention the Goodpasture guard received, it felt inevitable that West would end up as a Commodore. The local product cited the direction of the program and the environment as reasons for his decision.

“The trajectory the team is going in, every year they’re progressively getting better,” West said, “Really great coaching staff, really great school, and one of the best cities in the world.”

Being the hometown guy isn’t lost on West, either.

“It means a lot, my mom really has never missed a game so she loves it.” the Nashville product said of staying close to home.

When West makes the 20-minute drive down I-65 from Goodpasture to Memorial Gymnasium, he knows that one thing in particular will have to travel with him: his defense.

West described himself as a “Really good defender,” and added that“That’s what I take pride in the most.”

In a program that intends to build its identity on the defensive end, how much value West can provide there could determine just how much he sees the floor early in his career. That isn’t the only thing that Stackhouse is enticed by, though.

“At that point guard spot he gives us a different dynamic,” the fourth-year coach said, “he's a combo guard, he's a scorer, he can get in the paint, and he can make shots.”

West’s high school coach echoed the same sentiment.

“They’re getting a strong, athletic, coachable combo guard who excels in transition and is somebody who is going to work and going to continue to get better and one that I know they’re already excited about,” Sonn said.

Goodpasture’s coach is also impressed by the way his talented guard has evolved his game as he’s matured through injury.

“Early in his career here he scored the ball a lot, he used a lot of athleticism, natural ability, and a lot of highlight that people saw in his game, but as he’s come back and we’ve kinda shifted his role, although not totally, he’s been a lot more of a point guard for us.” the former Belmont basketball player added.

West certainly seems to be buying into that role and finding value as a distributor, as well as a scorer.

“Mainly I would say I’m a very conservative point guard, I can get a bucket when I feel like it, or I can control the offense and control the pace of the game.” West said.

“I’m comfortable with that, I’m really used to in the AAU scene being on the ball and off the ball, just doing whatever I can to help my team win, so whatever they throw at me I’m gonna do,” the 6-foot-3 guard added when talking about the possibility of playing both backcourt spots.

That versatility will prove important as West shares the backcourt with Vanderbilt’s other young guards like Paul Lewis, Noah Shelby, and class of 2024 commit Karris Bilal.

Lewis and Shelby will likely have more defined roles at a singular position, but West’s experience playing point guard at a high level along with his scoring ability will certainly help his case for early playing time.

The Goodpasture guard is excited about the future of Vanderbilt’s backcourt and the versatility it will posses.

“I think it’ll be a really big thing for us, I’m really mostly excited about how good the young guards are and how hard they play all the time.” the highly-touted recruit said.

West doesn’t want that to be the extent of the Vanderbilt backcourt, though. He has his eye on another local product.

“I want him to see this, Tyler Tanner at Brentwood academy, great player, he’s a really really great player,” the Vanderbilt signee said, “I’ve been on him heavy right now.”

Tanner is a smooth-scoring guard in the 2024 class from Brentwood Academy, Vanderbilt offered the local product in June. The Commodores were also Tanner’s first power-five offer.

As West finishes his senior year, his goal is simple: “Just to capture the state championship.”

Beyond that, there is certainly some buzz for West’s college career coming from inside the Vanderbilt program.

“I’ve talked to some of the coaches frequently and I think they’re real excited.” Sonn said of his communication with the Vanderbilt staff.

Sonn also mentioned that those coaches were in the building for Goodpasture’s matchup with Hillsboro high school on January 14th, the night of the Commodores’ win over Arkansas.

West is ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals but has upside to outperform that ranking and seems to have the mindset to match the culture that Stackhouse is trying to instill in his program.