THIS IS THE LAST of a two-part series with WVU men’s basketball recruit Isaiah Cottrell.
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — It has been less than a year since Isaiah Cottrell first committed to the West Virginia men’s basketball program.
Considering everything that’s happened since, Cottrell’s own mind tells him it seems like longer.
“When I first committed, they were just coming off an iffy season,” the 6-foot-9 forward said about the Mountaineers’ 15-21 record during the 2018-19 season. “They had a down year, so I was kind of thinking I would be able to help them turn it around.”
The next 10 months have been a whirlwind.
Cottrell transferred from his Las Vegas high school to Huntington Prep for his senior year.
And the Mountaineers are no longer iffy. Rather, from the second forward Oscar Tshiebwe announced he was returning for his sophomore season, WVU has become Big 12 title contenders.
“I’m not going to say that I was surprised at how fast things got turned around, but it is a completely different situation now,” Cottrell said. “I knew they were going to be good again. I just can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Like WVU fans, Cottrell said he welcomed Tshiebwe’s return and looks forward to learning from both Tshiebwe and Derek Culver.
“I was talking to (Tshiebwe) a little bit and was thinking he was going to come back,” Cottrell said. “As soon as I saw his announcement, I was like, “OK, here we go.’ I really believe with everyone that is coming back and the recruits coming in, it can be a special season for us.”
Cottrell’s only connection to his future WVU teammates and coaches have been through online Zoom conferences.
In those meetings, WVU head coach Bob Huggins has begun to lay out his plan for next season.
“I think everybody sees the potential,” Cottrell said. “A lot of it is just how everyone comes together. Coach Huggins has talked to us about being more aggressive on defense. He’s never come out and told us we were going back to Press Virginia, but I think we could go towards that a little bit. We don’t have Jevon Carter to run it, so that makes a difference.”
Cottrell’s arrival at WVU will be a sort of homecoming.
Born In Jacksonville, Fla., Cottrell and his mother lived in Parkersburg — his mother is from there — for a number of years, before they settled in Las Vegas. His grandparents still reside in Belpre, Ohio, just across the Ohio River from Parkersburg.
His signing at WVU continues a three-year trend under Huggins where the Mountaineers have signed top 100-ranked power forwards.
It began in 2018 with Culver, a four-star recruit and continued a year later with Tshiebwe, who was just the second McDonald’s All-American to sign as a freshman with the Mountaineers.
Cottrell, a four-star recruit ranked No. 77 by Rivals.com, believes he can fit in, because all three power forwards bring something different to the table.
“I think the potential is there to really attack teams and use our size,” Cottrell said. “I can help spread the floor and Derek can focus on posting up and Oscar will be Oscar. Everyone on the roster brings something a little different.”
If the Mountaineers are to contend in the Big 12 this season, they likely won’t be alone.
Early ESPN bracketology projections have seven of the league’s 10 teams playing in the NCAA tournament with the Mountaineers projected as a No. 3 seed.
Along with WVU, Cottrell was recruited by fellow Big 12 teams Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
“For sure, it’s going to be tough,” Cottrell said. “I’m glad it’s that way. I visited Texas Tech and had other Big 12 schools in my final eight. I want those teams to be good.
“I want to be able to say I played in the best conference in the country and that could be the Big 12 next season.”
TWEET @bigjax3211
