MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In the end, how far Derek Culver’s game continues to mature will be up to just one person: Derek Culver.
“The reality is, I can show him what to do, but I can’t do it for him,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said.
Huggins explained how he could work with Culver on his shot, “but I can only be with him for so long,” he said. “It’s up to him to put the time in.”
West Virginia’s 13th addition to the 20-20 club — Culver had 22 points and 21 rebounds against TCU on Tuesday — is still raw in his game, but determined.
The 6-foot-10 forward will look for an encore performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, when the Mountaineers (11-17, 3-12 Big 12) travel to Oklahoma (17-11, 5-10).
It’s Culver’s determination and work ethic that most surprises Huggins, considering Culver was once a top 100 four-star recruit coming out of Warren G. Harding (Warren, Ohio) High School.
“I think a lot of problems with a lot of [recruits] is they think they’re there and there not there,” Huggins said, meaning NBA ready. “They think they’ve already arrived at where a lot of hard work and preparation could put them.
“Honestly, I’m surprised Derek has played as hard as what he’s played, because he didn’t do that in high school. He relied on being bigger, stronger and faster.”
Having already joined the 20-20 plateau, Culver is closing in on joining another elite club at West Virginia.
Averaging 11.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, the freshman could become the first player since Kevin Jones in the 2011-12 season to average a double-double for the season.
He would need 16 rebounds against the Sooners to reach the mark with two regular season games remaining.
If that sounds like a lot, Culver had 14 rebounds in his first game against Oklahoma in a game where WVU outrebounded the Sooners, 46-30.
In truth, Culver admits that looking for 16 rebounds or recording 21 in a game was unthinkable. That changed once West Virginia assistant Erik Martin got his hands on him this season.
“I wasn’t a rebounder like this in high school,” he said. “Working with E. Martin and Huggs has really helped me. That’s something I’ve learned this year. It wasn’t a skill I had in the past.”
It wasn’t that Culver didn’t have the ability before, but maybe lacked the mentality.
That, too, has changed since arriving at West Virginia.
When the shot goes up, Culver now has one thing in mind.
“It’s mine, honestly,” he said. “That’s the mentality that the coaches want me to carry myself with. Every time the ball goes up, it has D.C.’s name on it.”
What can also help Culver is West Virginia’s sudden improvement at the guard positions.
Once facing constant double- and triple-teams, opponents now have to ask if it’s worth focusing on Culver or do they shift focus toward Jordan McCabe and Jermaine Haley, who have combined for 70 points, 26 assists and 25 rebounds in their last two games.
“It really makes it tough, because Culver and [Andrew] Gordon are so effective in the low post,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “It’s hard to cheat off one area to help another and that’s the case with West Virginia right now.”
WVU players who averaged a double-double for a season
Mark Workman (1951-52)
Mack Isner (1952-53)
Pete White (1954-55)
Rod Hundley (two times)
Jerry West (three times)
Lloyd Sharrar (two times)
Rod Thorn (two times)
Tom Lowry (two times)
Cary Bailey (two times)
Warren Baker (three times)
Maurice Robinson (1977-78)
Kevin Jones (2011-12)
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