West Virginia banking on upside in future with Cottrell

To say it hasn’t been the smoothest of freshman seasons for Isaiah Cottrell would be an accurate description.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pounder, spent last season on the sidelines after missing all but 10 games due to a torn left Achilles tendon. Cottrell surprised many by returning in plenty of time for the season but has endured what could be best described as an uneven year.

The Las Vegas native has started 27 of the 29 games but has played only around 16 minutes per contest. His averages of 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds along with hitting only 34-percent from the field and 26-percent from thee.

It’s clear that his best basketball is likely ahead of him in Morgantown.

That’s because by his own admission Cottrell is going to need to get tougher to bang with the caliber of bigs that he will encounter on a nightly basis in the Big 12. While he’s added around 25-pounds since arriving on campus, there has to be a desire to do that as well.

It’s something he’s found out first-hand after not having the opportunity to compete against Big 12 teams in his first season after he was sidelined with the injury.

“Just mentally doing it. Just the will to do it and go out there and do it,” he said.

On the physical side of things, Cottrell believes that he has fully recovered and is jumping higher than he was before last December.

“Everything is good, I don’t even think about it now,” he said.

But in order to take those next steps Cottrell is going to have to make leaps in areas such as defense, rebounding and being able to effectively put the ball in the basket. Cottrell scored a career-high 13 points against Kansas State and it was the first time all season that he reached double figures.

It was a step in the right direction confidence wise, as Cottrell simply hasn’t hit shots but seeing the ball go through the net can help change that. He also has been able to battle more on the glass of late which is an encouraging sign.

“I obviously want to get out of it. It’s tough, it’s hard,” he said.

Head coach Bob Huggins believes that the future for Cottrell is bright, as he could potentially bring things to the table that West Virginia hasn’t had at the position in quite some time.

But potential is one thing, making it happen is another.

“He’s a guy that can step out and make a three, he can pass it, he’s a guy that can play inside the three and make shots and he’s starting to score in close,” Huggins said. “He had no chance to score it close before and he’s worked at it and he’s listened and he’s tried and he’s a great kid. He wants to be a good player. I think the toughness part will come; it will come.”

Cottrell is far from a finished product at this time and Huggins hopes that he’s only getting started.

“His mobility he’ll give big people fits because he has the size and he’ll have the strength then and has great feet. The sky is the limit for that guy, he just has to continue to work and get in the weight room and do the right thing,” Huggins said. “He’s a talented kid.”

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