The "New" Derek Culver Is Back And Better Than Ever

Culver’s 28 points and 12 rebounds were a bright spot for WVU in Saturday’s 85-80 loss to the Gators.

It appears that WVU forward Derek Culver got his legs back during the Mountaineers' matchup against Florida Saturday afternoon.

Culver struggled when the Mountaineers returned to the floor after a two-week COVID-19 interruption. Before the break, Culver averaged 27.2 minutes per game. However, in their most recent contest against No. 10 Texas Tech, Culver was on the court for only 18.

Ahead of Saturday's matchup against the Gators, WVU head coach Bob Huggins told media that he was waiting for the "new" Derek Culver to return.

“He looked like the old Derek rather than the new Derek," Huggins said of Culver during WVU's previous two games. "And I like the new Derek a lot better than the old Derek.”

Entering Saturday’s game, Culver told the media that he feels himself slowly getting back into shape.

“I can feel myself coming back gradually,” Culver said. “If I don’t have my legs, my shots aren’t going to be there, they’re going to fall short.”

It appears that the "new" Culver is back and that he has figured out how to get his legs back under him. Culver, who had been averaging 13.1 points per game before Saturday, put up 21 points against the Gators in the first half alone. He shot 6 of 6 from the field and sunk 9 of 11 free throws.

Huggins said that Culver has been putting in extra work and focusing on the basics of the game in order to return to his previous level of play.

“Derek and I spent about an hour (working together) after practice yesterday,” Huggins told media following Saturday’s game. “This game - when you break it down - is a whole bunch of simple things. It’s not really hard things. You can master the simple things. What makes it hard is that you have to do one simple (thing) to the next in a very rapid succession. The complexity of it makes it hard. All we did for an hour yesterday were the simple things, both with his post play and with his free throws. Once you grasp the simple things, you can continue. Derek has always been a good passer and a willing passer. He’s probably our most willing passer, which isn’t good.”

Despite being held to only four points in the second half, Culver recorded a double-double with career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes. Culver also shot 14-17 from the free throw line.

“We did a better job on Culver in the second half,” Florida head coach Mike White told the media following the Gators’ win. “Culver was amazing in the first half.”

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