Tim West came to SFCC as an all-state basketball player from Skyline-Urbana High School. At SFCC he was named to the All-Region XVI team in 1977-1978. In 1978-1979 he again was named to the All-Region XVI team, and also was named Player of the Year and a Junior College All-American.

While at SFCC, West averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game, and shot 55 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line.

After graduating from SFCC in 1979 with an Associate of Arts degree, West went on to play basketball at the University of Nebraska, where he received honorable mention on the All-Big 8 team for the 1979-1980 season.

While at Nebraska, West played in 24 games and started in 20. He averaged 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and shot 53 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line.