After a long-running courtship between Texas Tech and Lubbock-Coronado standout Jarrett Culver, Culver decided to shut things down and commit to the Red Raiders last Thursday.

“I mean it feels awesome to be a Red Raider in my home town,” Culver said. “It was a hard decision and a long process, but you just to love who loves you, and I could just see it in Tech and the coaching staff and all the players that they really wanted me, and that I can help the program as a player. I feel like it is the best fit for me, and I see the opportunity I have there. I knew where I wanted to go. I had some official visits set up, but I always knew where I wanted to go. I went with my heart.”

Culver had 12 offers on the table at the time of his commitment. The three-star guard held offers from schools across the country and the Red Raiders were in heavy contention with other Big 12 foes Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas, with Culver even having an official visit scheduled to Texas in early October.

The talented senior prospect said it was easy to shut things down in the end, despite all the other interest.

“During the recruiting process, I had been praying a lot and asking God for direction. I had just felt my heart at Tech. It was last week or two weeks ago that I knew that was where I wanted to go. There was no reason to waste other schools’ time and play with their emotions. I knew where I wanted to go, and I didn’t want to wait, and I just wanted to hop on as soon as I can.”

Culver said that Beard was pretty pumped to get the good news.

“He was super excited. He was really excited. I had called him and told him, and he was like, 'Are you serious?' and this and that. He was like in shock. He seemed very excited.”

Culver’s interest in the Red Raiders wasn’t really kicked into gear until Beard got the head coaching job back in April. Culver had some interest from the previous staff but an offer was never extended, that changed immediately when Beard took the job.

“When he first came in, he automatic started building a relationship with me. Relationships go a long way and they build on top of each other. He had come in and offered me right on the spot, and he made a good impression since that was the first thing he did. We have just grown closer, and I feel like I can trust him and his coaching staff more, and I feel comfortable with him and it was the right decision for me.”

Culver averaged more than 20 points per game this past season and the 6-foot-5 shooting guard can do a little bit of everything on the basketball court. From distributing the ball to being a deep scoring threat, Culver can do it all. He is also expecting to hit a growth-spurt, too.

“The doctors said I could grow another 2-3 inches. I’m hoping I get that,” Culver said.

“In my head, I feel like I can do it all. I can be the guy who drops dimes to my teammates. I can score some buckets and play defense. I’ll dive in to make plays and will just give it my all and not take it for granted. I’m just trying to give everyone a reason to know why I came and show them something good.”

In the end, what made Culver excited to be a Red Raider was the same reason Tech fans are excited to have Beard as their new head coach. Beard is a winner and has a winning mentality, an opportunity Culver didn’t want to pass on.

“I have seen it from coach Beard that he wants to win and have a winning program. I want to be a part of something big like that.”