Sophomore point guard Jake West is one of just three returning players for a Northwestern men's basketball team that finished 15-19 last season.

Head coach Chris Collins made it his goal to add older, veteran players via the transfer portal to ensure that their youth is balanced by leadership and experience. He did just that, bringing in seven transfers, four of which are fifth-year graduate players.

Still, West knew that taking the next step as a player and point guard also meant taking ownership as a leader. Through three games, he's looked like the best player on the court, averaging 21.3 points, 8.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds on 53.7% shooting. But to him, the most notable improvements have come mentally.

"Just trying to become a leader for these guys," West told Roundtable on Thursday ahead of Wildcats' matchup with 3-0 DePaul.

"Obviously being one of the only three people to return, there's a lot on my shoulders. But you know, just trying to get those guys to get to the Northwestern standard... and also just being a point guard, trying to develop that, and being a leader on the floor."

As a freshman, West played in 33 games including 17 straight starts to finish the season. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists while shooting 36.4% from three and 40.3% from the field in 22.0 minutes per game.

There was a lot to be excited about from his strong freshman campaign. West displayed a natural ability to score it effectively, dropping 18 against Indiana in March. He showed off his playmaking, tallying 13 assists against Penn State in January while taking care of the ball, averaging just 1.0 turnover per game.

But according to Collins, the most valuable part of his first season was just getting the reps necessary to feel comfortable and confident at this level.

"The experience of last year, it just gave him such an idea of what it was going to take to make the next jump, which was his goal," Collins said. "He wants to be a top tier point guard in the Big Ten."

Collins, like West, sees some of his player's biggest improvements coming mentally rather than physically.

"He's wiser. He sees situations, the pick and roll coverages. He's gotten better."

That said, the longtime head coach acknowledged some of the physical developments necessary to have made such a leap possible. 

"He's in excellent condition, which is a big thing," Collins said. "We need him to play 30-plus minutes a night, and in order to run your team and play at the pace he plays at, and to be able to guards his position, it requires elite conditioning. I think he really embraced that in the offseason."

Collins, a former second-team All-ACC guard at Duke, issued a challenge for West to get on the glass, stressing the importance of having guards, especially point guards that can rebound the ball because it can lead to fast breaks. West, who does possess exceptional speed and quickness, has made it a point to slow the game down and use the year of experience he has under his belt to control the game and "own the point guard position."

"Physically, I think just you know, slowing down, reading the game a little bit better, really just trying to own that point guard position and controlling the team best that I can."

With transfer forward Jack Karasinski missing two of three games in concussion protocol and transfer big Luke McEldon on a leave of absence, much of the scoring load has been on the returners in West, Phoenix Gill and Angelo Ciaravino. Their play, along with West's desire to lead and steady the ship as a distributor, has been an overwhelming part of the Wildcats' 3-0 start.

But as Collins pointed out on Thursday, there is so much more growth left for West, who he thinks could end up as one of the best point guards in college basketball.

"Been really proud of his development so far, and there's another huge jump to take. I mean, he's just starting his sophomore year, but in my opinion, he has all the makings and wiring to be an elite point guard at this level."

West's next test will come against the unbeaten DePaul Blue Demons in a tilt at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday at 8:00 PM CT.