David West remains one of the most modest All-America candidates, deferring from his own offense in the name of team balance. As Xavier (7-3) prepares for its final non-conference game tonight against Siena (4-9), the quest continues for how best to utilize the unselfish star's gifts.

SIENA-XAVIER LINEUPS

SIENA   Player-Ht-Yr-PPG   Dwayne Archbold-6-6-Sr.-18.1   Justin Miller-6-8-So.-5.0   Brent Sniezyk-6-10-Fr.-1.3   Prosper Karangwa-6-7-Jr.-10.8   Tommy Mitchell-6-3-Fr.-4.5   Coach: Coach: Rob Lanier (4-9, first year; same overall)   XAVIER   Player-Ht-Yr-PPG   Dave Young-6-5-Jr.-7.7   Kevin Frey-6-8-Sr.-10.4   David West-6-9-Jr.-20.0   Romain Sato-6-5-So.-11.7   Lionel Chalmers-6-0-Jr.-11.7   Coach: Thad Matta (7-3, first year; 31-11, second overall)

        “His efficiency is incredible,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “It's a pretty good bet that when you put the ball in his hands, he'll score or get fouled. He has matured into a complete big man.”

        Bilas and his cohorts on College Hoops 2Nite, picking their pre-conference season All-America teams, put West on their first team. He has averaged 20 points and 10.6 rebounds, shooting 64 percent from the field.

        Yet West averages only 11.4 field-goal attempts per game, just 20 percent of XU's total. He has taken just 14 shots more than his closest teammate. Only once in his career has he had more than 15 attempts: an 11-of-17 game against Dayton last season. It's easy to wonder, why not shoot more? For starters, West doesn't want to.

        “I'll be content with my 10 to 12 (shots), as long as we're winning games, because I don't like to take bad shots,” he said. “And I don't like to take shots just because I can. Getting the best possible shot for our team is what I'm all about.”

        Among the 30 midseason Wooden Award All-America candidates, West's numbers reflect restraint. Most players on the list take closer to 25 percent of their team's shots.

        Eight take a lower percentage than West — Duke's Carlos Boozer (15.4 percent) and Mike Dunleavy (19.3); Florida's Matt Bonner (19.2) and Udonis Haslem (14.2); Maryland's Lonny Baxter (16.6); Kansas' Nick Collison (15.3); Iowa's Reggie Evans (19.6); and Texas' Chris Owens (18.0). Of those, all but Owens — who takes 11.3 shots per game, just a tenth fewer than West averages — have another All-America candidate on their team with which to share shots.

        Of those 30 candidates, only one has a field-goal percentage better than West's: Collison, who makes 66.4 percent.

        Yet having West shoot more could diminish one of his top talents: passing. He ranks second on the team in assists (23) for the second consecutive season. West will frequently wait for the defense to collapse, then dish out to a teammate for an open shot.

        “He's a very patient player and a very unselfish player,” XU coach Thad Matta said. “I trust he's going to have good decisions.”

        West's numbers are up a bit from last winter, when he averaged 10.9 attempts, representing 19.1 percent of XU's total. He averaged 17.8 points and shot 55.1 percent last season.

        West's number of attempts also lags behind other stars because of his high number of foul shots. He averages 6.8 free-throw attempts per game.

        West's deliberate nature has helped XU's balance, as four scorers average in double figures.

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Bilas praises XU's West as unselfish superstar

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