LONG BEACH, Calif. — Penn Charter guard Jake West loves to put on a show.
He‘s already set to play Big Ten basketball, having signed with Northwestern. He has proved himself in the Philadelphia area that a Plymouth Meeting kid can play with toughness at a high level in the Catholic League with Archbishop Carroll, for the last two seasons in the Inter-Ac, and in AAU on the Nike EYBL circuit.
So when West was selected to participate in the Ballislife All-American Game, he flew out to Southern California to take part in festivities and ensure he didn‘t miss a chance to go up against some of the top players in the country he hadn‘t faced yet.
“I know every gym I go into I’ve got to put on a show because I have a brand and I have a name, so I have to go out there and show people,” West said Saturday. “That’s not hard for me because I’ve been doing that all my life. I know how good I am. I know how much hard work and confidence I have in myself, so going into every gym, I know to just play with that chip on my shoulder and prove to people I’m a great basketball player also.”
West is well aware that when he steps on the court, even on the West Coast, there‘s a decent chance the competition and the crowd have an idea of who he is from social media. Considering his 1.6 million followers on TikTok, they might have already seen him dance on the platform.
It’s the basketball court — not on social media — where the show takes place, though, according to West.
“I’m not just one-dimensional,” he said. “My personality and just being myself, I think people like that a lot. Just going out there and just having that basketball side but also having social media, so it’s multidimensional.
“That’s how I grew my social media. It wasn‘t really anything like trying to buy followers or anything like that. It just came authentic and original. It started as a joke. Me and my friends were messing around and one of my videos popped off. Kind of just ran with it. … I think that’s why people like me a lot because it’s not putting on a show.”
» READ MORE: TikTok basketball star Jake West has more than 1 million followers. He showed heart at a playground event.
West’s social media following is what has enabled him as a high school athlete to land a name, image, and likeness deal with Passes, a subscription-based platform that enables creators to monetize their fan followings. In announcing the partnership last month, Passes called West a “rising basketball and TikTok star.”
Passes launched partnerships last year with the University of Texas’ NIL collective and the University of Michigan to provide a platform for athletes to monetize fan engagement. Quarterback Quinn Ewers and new Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba, recent NFL draft picks out of Texas, listed monthly subscription prices of $25 and $5, respectively, for fans to gain access to their behind-the-scenes content.
West said Passes reached out to his agent with the entrepreneurial concept that he liked. The platform allows him to do more than just sell autographed basketballs. His Passes page charges $7.99 per month for content that includes breakdowns of his basketball moves and film, and images of his personal life. For $9.99 per month, there is unlimited direct messaging with West, whose page informs fans that it’s the only platform where he‘ll respond to DMs. Fans can also unlock content images and videos à la carte — his prom photos cost $5.
West’s TikTok account links to his Passes page as does his Instagram, which has 256,000 followers. “Out here in LA living my best life,” he posted on Instagram Stories on Friday with a link to his Passes page and an image of himself holding a bag that read “VIRAL” on the side.
“I post a lot on social media [across TikTok, Instagram, and X], but I don‘t post everything I do because I like to have a little bit of privacy,” West said. “Being able to just show certain people, giving them a kind of taste of how I came up and what I do now, I think that’s pretty cool that people see behind the scenes who I am.
“Maybe I’ll post something on social media where it’s just a selfie. But they’ll be able to see stuff [on Passes] that I don‘t usually post. It’s just giving people another door for them to see [through].”
In the Hall of Champions gym at Long Beach City College, West met with fans who posed for pictures with him and also showcased his skills among top players. The Ballislife All-American Game also featured Audenried star Shayla Smith in the girls’ division, as she recently became the top scorer in Philadelphia high school basketball history. The game two years ago brought together future Sixers teammates Justin Edwards, a top-ranked recruit coming out of Imhotep Charter, and Jared McCain.
McCain, who had about 2 million TikTok followers then and has more than doubled that amount since becoming a standout Duke and Sixers player, has been in touch with West via social media and provided advice. According to West, McCain sets a good example of “keeping the main thing the main thing.”
There was a time when the negative comments that come with social media stardom could get West down. He indicated that playing in basketball showcases helps him overcome it. At the Mamba League Invitational in Los Angeles last year in celebration of Kobe Bryant’s birthday, the public address announcer noticeably kept endearingly referring to West as Home Alone. Ballislife posted about it then. Eight months later, the basketball media company made West the first player named to its All-American Game roster with an Instagram clip of West’s fancy dribbling and pass at the Mamba event as an example of something fans “don‘t want to miss.”
“It doesn‘t really get to me anymore because I know how much hard work I put in,” West said of online negativity. “I’m going to school for free at one of the best schools in the country. Knowing that I have that self-confidence, I’m just staying on my path and not letting distractions get to me.”
Northwestern, which noted West’s TikTok following on his bio when announcing his signing in November, was excited to recruit a player that coach Chris Collins said has “great speed and quickness and shooting touch, while creating for others.”
West, who said he enjoyed the community feel at Penn Charter while becoming an all-state player, said he has built a relationship with Collins’ father, Basketball Hall of Famer Doug Collins, adding that they’ve had lunch a couple of times. Paul Romanczuk, Doug’s son-in-law and Chris’ brother-in-law, happens to coach basketball for Inter-Ac rival Malvern Prep.
“It just fit me really well — the family, the culture, the team,” West said of Northwestern. “I think the big thing is just the way they say they play with a chip on their shoulder. I think that just resonates with me as a player, just always going into the gym with that chip on my shoulder.
“The ball’s going to stop bouncing at one point, so for me to say I have a degree from Northwestern is a pretty good achievement.”
» READ MORE: Penn Charter’s Jake West relishes his role as a clutch shooter: ‘I know how confident I am’
What’s in store for West and his followers while he‘s a Northwestern player in the NIL era?
“Obviously you’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing — basketball,” West said. “Keep showing up, keep playing well, and that NIL stuff will follow.
“Just my brand, just continue to be myself, whether it’s posting once a week or five times a week. Whatever flows.”
CHICAGO − Yaxel Lendeborg rubbed his hands together seated inside Wintrust Arena, a wave of excitement and anxiety coursing through him as he laid out the options again before his first official NBA audition was set to begin. The former UAB star is an intriguing figure among the group of players taking part in this week’s 2025 NBA Draft Combine. He’s facing the sort of decision prospects invited to this annual league event never did in the past. 
It’s yet another ripple effect of the power shift within college sports.“We’ve got the best of both worlds,” said St. John’s star R.J. Luis, who entered the NBA draft and the NCAA’s transfer portal this offseason. “We’re basically like semi-pros. We got like one-year contracts basically (in college). It’s just about trying to find the best opportunity at the right moment.”’Good for the basketball ecosystem’The NBA doesn’t seem to mind this, either.Five league executives told USA TODAY Sports at the draft combine that the implementation of name, image and likeness at the college level has produced minimal disruptions for the league or its draft process. Some view it as a positive development despite the issues NIL created for college basketball teams. As one NBA general manager put it, “The guys will come into the draft eventually.”“You’re still getting the top-end guys, but you’re not going to get sophomores and juniors,” said an NBA front office executive who runs his team’s college scouting operation. “You’re going to see a gap in the draft the next couple years, especially in the second round. But most guys choosing to go back (to college) would struggle to stay (in the NBA) anyways. Now these guys can build brands in college. In the long run, it might be better.”“It’s good for the basketball ecosystem,” added another NBA team executive. But there will still be players like Lendeborg placed in a precarious spot, hoping the measurements, scrimmage performances and meetings with NBA officials at the combine and a flurry of workouts the next two weeks provide more clarity. The Pennsauken, New Jersey native only played 11 varsity basketball games in high school and had to go the junior college route before arriving at UAB. There is no precedent for what he’s going through because a fringe first-round pick five years ago wouldn’t also be mulling NIL deals worth millions of dollars. 
