MORGANTOWN — Javon Small, who at 6-foot-1 was exactly what his name indicated in professional terms as the NBA trended toward taller and longer guards, came up big in the NBA draft as he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the NBA draft.

It was a fitting place for a West Virginia University graduate to end up for it came at the second franchise run by Mountaineer immortal, Jerry West, who took charge of the Memphis franchise in 2002 after a long career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He stayed with the Grizzlies until 2007 and saw them go from 28 wins his first season to 50 his second as he was named the NBA Executive of the Year for the second time after having built the Showtime Lakers a decade earlier.

The draft pick was made a year and two weeks after West died in 2024.

Small was a one-and-done player with the Mountaineers, after having played at East Carolina and Oklahoma State before transferring in for his final year.

He became an All-Big 12 First Team selection as he averaged 18.6 points, 56. Assists and 4.1 rebounds in 32 games as WVU missed the NCAA Tournament in a controversial decision by the selection committee after they won 19 games while playing in the Power Five Conference despite a number of key injuries to important players.

When Tucker DeVries, Coach Darian DeVries; son, went down after eight games it allowed defenses to devise defenses to harass Small, who still provided star quality play but wore down as the Mountaineers lost 10 of their final 16 games down the stretch.

Small joins former WVU guards Deuce McBride and Jevon Carter in the NBA and is the 43rd Mountaineer to be selected in the NBA draft.

He joins a team that has guards Scotty Pippen Jr., Ja Morant, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony on the roster, as does guard Will Richard of national champion Florida, who was selected by Memphis eight picks after Small.

Small will play with the Grizzlies Summer League entry in Las Vegas on July 10 through 20.