Isaiah Cottrell could have a very bright future at West Virginia. But there's work to do.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound, big man has caught the eye of practically all of those around the team with a versatile skill set that separates him from the rest of the big men on the roster. The former top 100 recruit, is clearly skilled as he was tabbed the West Virginia Player of the Year last season.

That has spilled over to the college level.

“He’s a very skilled guy. He passes it well, he shoots it well, he handles it probably better than most of our bigs,” head coach Bob Huggins said earlier in the off-season.

But there’s certainly still some hurdles he needs to clear. There is a difference between being effective at the high school level and in college. Something that Cottrell could tell after a few days of going up against the other bigs on the roster such as Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe.

“They get to the ball so much faster. They’re so much harder to move and he’s finding that out,” Huggins said. “You’re playing against men, it’s not high school anymore. You’re playing against real men and I think that can do nothing but help him.”

There has certainly been some struggle because of that, but none that won’t make him better in the future. Sill it should give him all he needs to realize where he has to improve.

One of those bigs going against Cottrell has been Culver and the redshirt junior sees so much potential in him as long as he improves in one area.

“If Isaiah really wants to take this serious he’s a person that can play in the NBA for sure, without a doubt,” Culver said. “He can put the ball on the ground, he can shoot, he can rebound. Isaiah has to get tougher.”

That comes with time and is a product of him largely just being a freshman and not understanding what it takes to be successful at this level.

When teams throw all they can offer at you, players have to adjust and weather the storm in order to maximize their talents.

Those are lessons Cottrell will learn, but there’s plenty of reason to be excited for his future.

“Isaiah has a very high ceiling. If Isaiah can get tougher there is nothing he can’t do for sure,” Culver said.

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