Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Roshawn West, MSU-N Basketball

Havre is a long way from Seattle, but Roshawn West has been right at home with the Lights

Roshawn West and the Montana State University-Northern Lights are headed to the big Kansas City to play in their fourth straight NAIA national basketball tournament. And playing basketball in the big city is nothing new to West.

Hailing from Seattle, West has grown up in the hustle and bustle of city life. But, 1,100 miles to the east, West has found a home, and success, playing college basketball in a town which has about as many people as West would normally see in one hour in Seattle.

Still, that’s what West loves about his time at Northern. He loves the small community atmosphere, as well as the tight-knit campus life. And by the same token, Northern has loved having West.

In two seasons with the Lights, West has averaged 11 points per game and three assists. He’s a two-year Frontier All-Conference performer and has also helped guide the Lights to consecutive NAIA national tournament appearances.

And the second national tourney appearance takes West back to the big city. The Lights will face off against Freed-Hardeman Thursday morning in the first round of the national tourney, and one thing’s for certain, West has no intentions of letting his MSU-N career, his basketball life, come to an end in the big city.

Here are five questions with a Northern guard who has certainly fallen in love with basketball and life in Havre.

HDN: You get another shot at the national tournament, after such a tough season, that’s got to feel good?

West: “I’m very excited that we get another chance. We worked hard, put a lot of effort into this season, and I’m really blessed to be a part of such a great team and a great group of guys. But we’re not satisfied with just making it this far. We have a lot of work to do. We want to go down there and go on a run.”

HDN: What was the biggest adjustment coming from Seattle to Havre?

West: “Just the size of the town, the amount of people. Back home, you might see a person and never see them again. Here, you can see the same people every single day. That and of course the weather. It gets rainy and cold in Seattle, but not zero degrees and below zero cold like it does here. That was pretty tough to get used to.”

HDN: What’s your favorite thing about Havre and going to school at Northern?

West: “The best thing is this community and the support and love they have for everyone. I’ve played basketball in a lot of different places and nowhere else has it been like this. The support for our team is amazing. The community and the fans are amazing. And I’m just so thankful that I got the opportunity to play here.”

HDN: What is your most memorable moment playing basketball for the Lights?

West: “So far, it would have to be making the game-winning shot to beat Tech in double overtime (in Butte this year). To be involved in a play like that where you will succeed or you will fail, that was special. I’ve failed before in those situations, but that night it worked out. That was pretty special to have the ball in my hands at the end of a game like that, especially on the road.”

HDN: How important is it for the Lights to go down to K.C. and beat Freed-Hardeman?

West: “It’s very important. There have been some great Northern teams the past few years, but for whatever reason, we’ve come up short in these games. So we want this one bad. We want to play Northern basketball and if we do that, we can advance. I want it badly, the whole team wants it badly. And I think it is important for this team, and for the community and fans.”