Morgantown, West Virginia – Former West Virginia forward Derek Culver was a guest on “Facetime With The Baseline: NBA Podcast”, giving his first interview since deciding to leave the Mountaineers basketball program to pursue a career in professional basketball.
When asked to discuss his college career, Culver said the following: “To be honest with you, it didn’t go off like I would’ve wanted. I had a little situation at the beginning when I wasn’t holding myself accountable, but I tightened things up and figured everything out. But at the end, I didn’t play…I know I didn’t play like I was supposed to play. So I felt like I left a lot out on the court at the end.”
Culver continued, “But as a whole, meeting the people that I met, having the experiences that I had, I grew up a lot and needed college to grow up. I really enjoyed my college experience. I played for a Hall of Fame coach and overall it was a great experience, but I left a lot on the court at the end.”
The interviewer then said that there was a lot of talk about how Culver quit on his team at the end of last season and asked how he’s grown from that and how he’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again, and Culver responded by saying, “I’m not the kind of guy to sit here and make excuses about the situation. I played bad and I know that. But every time I put my shoes on going forward I’m going to play with a really, really high motor.”
When asked about how he sees himself fitting into the professional game, Culver shockingly said he sees himself as a “stretch four forward”, adding that one big thing that he’s improved on since leaving West Virginia is his shooting.
“My shooting is going to surprise a lot of people. Everything is fluid and one motion now. I’ve made a lot of little changes that have made a big difference in how I shoot. I honestly think I’m going to be a stretch four at the next level. I want to play like Julius Randle (New York Knicks). He’s a power forward, but he can also put the ball on the floor and get to basket, but he can also step out and make shots from the outside.”
It’s truly shocking to hear that Culver, who is not considered a serious prospect to be drafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, feels that he has completely transformed his game and will be able to play as a stretch four as a professional. With that said, Derek Culver gave three years…no, two and a half years, of tremendous effort at West Virginia University and we wish him nothing but the best in the future!
Listen to the entire interview on Facetime With The Baseline: NBA Podcast, now available on Spotify.
