The decision for West Virginia big man Derek Culver to forego his remaining eligibility might have come as a surprise to many, but in many ways it’s hard to fault him for his choice.

Culver, 6-foot-10, 255-pounds, was coming off a first-team all-Big 12 Conference season where he averaged 14.3 and 9.4 rebounds per contest. First-team all-league players simply don’t grow on trees and the big man proved his worth over his three years with the program.