WVU F Isaiah Cottrell Cleared For Basketball Activities

On Tuesday morning, it was reported by CBS Sports Insider Jon Rothstein that West Virginia forward Isaiah Cottrell has been cleared to participate in all basketball activities.

West Virginia's Isaiah Cottrell (achilles) has been fully cleared for all basketball related activities, per Bob Huggins. Could be a key piece for Mountaineers up front with his skill level.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 24, 2021

Cottrell was recovering from an Achilles injury that the 6-foot-10 forward suffered back in Dec. 2020 in non-conference play.

Cottrell is listed as a redshirt freshman for the upcoming 2021-22 basketball season. As a true freshmen, Cottrell played 10 games and averaged 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. The former Huntington Prep player received the most action against Gonzaga, playing 11 minutes and scoring six points.

Cottrell will be competing for a spot in the starting lineup this year against incoming transfers Pauly Paulicap (DePaul) and Dimon Carrigan (Florida International).

Paulicap averaged 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 19 games in the 2020-21 season. Carrigan averaged 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Cottrell, Paulicap and Carrigan will compete against each other to fill the loss of Derek Culver—who put his name in the NBA draft in April.