If West Virginia is going to reverse course from last season’s 15-21 campaign, sophomore Derek Culver figures to be a big piece to that puzzle.

Culver made the most of his 26 appearances in his first year with the program just narrowly missing averaging a double-double at 11.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

There are certainly no debates about how productive Culver was when he was on the floor, but that last part of the sentence was indeed a challenge at times.

Missing a total of ten games on the season, Culver was suspended indefinitely after not appearing in the season opener against Buffalo due to a violation of team rules.

Before he could return to the team, head coach Bob Huggins even made him sign a contract that mapped out a list of expectations.

Culver did that and through the experience it taught him a lesson. Now, Huggins wants to make sure he understands at least one more as he continues to develop as a player and one of the centerpieces to what the Mountaineers are going to do on the basketball court this season.

“Derek just has a timeliness issue, which he hasn’t had this summer at all – well yeah, he did one time. You got to make sure he understands he can’t do that,” Huggins said.

That timeliness issue hasn’t necessarily been bad according to the head man, meaning it’s not as if he’s missing half or full events – more just in the past he has not shown up on time. That has to change if he wants to pursue a professional career at some point down the road.

“It’s not what you think about guys doing bad things, he doesn’t do bad things. It’s just every once in a while he doesn’t show up on time,” he said.

The expectation is that Culver will share the front court with five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American Oscar Tshiebwe, quite possibly giving Huggins his most impressive duo of big men in quite some time. The plan is to play both of them on the floor at the same time in order to control the glass.

How much control?

“Lots of rebounds,” Huggins said.

But in order to get to that point, Culver has to continue to be on point when it comes to showing up to things as well as continue to grow from what he has already experienced.

“We’re trying to get him to the point if and when he becomes a professional, he can act like a professional,” Huggins added.

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