MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Derek Culver long ago stopped being a hidden gem for the West Virginia men’s basketball team.
The question now: Just how much consideration can the 6-foot-10 forward garner for Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the end of the season?
According to Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber, it’s not as far-fetched as one would think.
“The other day, all of our coaches were talking after our film session about who was going to be All-Freshmen and the Newcomer of the Year and all of that stuff,” Weber said. “They said, ‘Culver.’ I said [Jarrett] Culver at Texas Tech isn’t a freshmen. They said, ‘No, Culver from West Virginia.’ ”
In the span of just 16 games, Culver’s hustle, scoring and rebounding has made an impact on the rest of the Big 12.
In those 16 games, Culver has recorded six double-doubles. He’s averaging 11.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and he’s recorded at least 10 rebounds in West Virginia’s last five games.
The problem is you will not find his name anywhere on the Big 12 leaderboard.
The Big 12 and the NCAA only list players who have played in at least 75 percent of their team’s games.
Culver was suspended for the first semester and missed the first 10 games of the season, as he worked to improve academically.
As it stands, he’s played in 62 percent of West Virginia’s games and unless the Mountaineers (10-16, 2-11 Big 12) make some kind of miracle turnaround and qualify for the NCAA tournament, Culver will not reach the required 75 percent.
That rule, according to the Big 12 office, does not apply to the conference’s postseason awards, which are voted on by the coaches.
It opens the door for Culver to be in the running for the league’s Freshman of the Year — won last season by Trae Young of Oklahoma — even if he’s not listed among the stat leaders.
“I told my coaches, ‘[Culver] isn’t a freshman.’ They said he was. He’s a man. He plays hard. For their future, he’s somebody who is going to be really tough to deal with over the next four years. I dread it. You have to have enough big guys to keep fouling him and battle him.”
At times, Kansas State triple-teamed Culver, who saw immediate double- and triple-teams in the Mountaineers’ 78-53 loss against Kansas last Saturday.
In Culver’s limited sample size, the word is out on West Virginia’s forward, and opponents have not hesitated to try and keep him from getting comfortable in the paint.
“I haven’t seen a quadruple-team, yet, but I’ve seen some triple-teams,” Culver said after West Virginia’s 65-51 loss against Kansas State on Monday. “You just have to learn on the fly and try to take what they give you. You can’t force anything. If you beat your man, what are you going to do, beat two more people?”
As this season hits the home stretch, it could get more difficult for Culver unless the Mountaineers find some sort of consistent outside shooting to draw defenders away from the paint.
That has been a thorn in the side of the Mountaineers all season. WVU is shooting 30.5 percent (180 of 591) from 3-point range, which is last in the Big 12.
West Virginia hasn’t shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range in a game since its first meeting against Kansas State on Jan. 9, and they’ve reached that mark in only four games this season.
“Teams send guys from the backside help and they drop a guy from the wing to the free-throw line,” Culver said. “It’s kind of like four-on-one. It’s tough.”
WVU coaches have tried to help Culver make adjustments in practice, and if there are no adjustments, they’ve tried to help him get used to the additional physical contact.
“We have managers using the [blocking] pads,” Culver said. “When we go to individual offense and work on our skills, I get the ball in the post, and as soon as I face up, they send another guy running at me full speed and I have to make my decisions quick. I feel like that’s a good way to prepare for triple teams.”
The extra work has helped him take on more responsibility on the team. It may just help him earn some Big 12 honors by season’s end.
“Whatever the situation may be, I’m ready for the task,” he said. “I’m ready to take on any workload my teammates and my coaches allow me to take on. I just have to keep improving.”
The top contenders for the Big 12 Freshman of the Year (listed alphabetically):
Derek Culver (West Virginia): 11.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Devon Dotson (Kansas): 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists
Jaxon Hayes (Texas): 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks
Kevin Samuel (TCU): 7.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks
Talen Horton-Tucker (Iowa State): 12.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists
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