WVU Junior Derek Culver Passes 1,000 Career Points in Loss to Oklahoma State

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia junior Derek Culver became the 54th men’s basketball player in WVU history to eclipse 1,000 career points, but there was no celebrating in the WVU Coliseum Saturday afternoon as the No. 6 Mountaineers lost 85-80 to No. 17 Oklahoma State.

Derek Culver becomes the 54th Mountaineer to reach 1️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ career points! Congrats DC!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/LDpuxAvvVx

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) March 6, 2021

Culver, a junior from Youngstown, Ohio, entered Saturday’s contest just eight points away from joining the 1,000 point club. He scored seven points in the first half against OSU but picked up two personal fouls in the process and headed to the bench sitting at 999.

A dunk less than two minutes into the second half, however, finally put Culver over the top, becoming the first Mountaineers to pass 1,000 career points since Esa Ahmad did so in 2019. Culver finished the game with 14 points and his point total currently sits at 1,006.

1️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ in style!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/qT1JEJ49eU

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) March 6, 2021

When asked about Culver’s impending milestone on Thursday, WVU coach Bob Huggins took the opportunity to praise how far he has come but also continued to point out how far he can eventually go.

“He’s come a long, long way,” Huggins said. “But it’s about consistency. If you want to go on and make money playing basketball, you have to bring it every day. He’s just got to become more consistent and his skill level’s got to continue to get better.”

Culver came to WVU from Warren G. Harding High School just outside of Youngstown, Ohio. After a year at the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, Culver joined the Mountaineers for the 2018-19 season.

After missing the non-conference schedule due to a team suspension, Culver shined for WVU as a freshman. He averaged 11.5 points and 9.9 rebounds in 26 games that season and led the Big 12 in rebounding during conference play. As a sophomore last year, Culver’s averaged dipped a bit to 10.4 points and 8.6 rebounds across 31 games.

Now, as a junior, Culver has broken out as one of the top big men in the Big 12, averaging 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds and leading the conference with 11 double-doubles. With the regular season now over, Culver and the Mountaineers will get ready to play in the Big 12 conference tournament next week and then head on to the NCAA tournament the week after that.