Life of a Recruiter
Jeff Culver, who led UCCS to its first RMAC championship, is in his 14th season as Head Coach of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men’s basketball program in 2025-26. He has coached the only NBA Draft pick and All-Americans in program history.
The 2024-25 Mountain Lions finished 17-12, returning to the RMAC postseason after two years. They went 10-4 at home, led by First Team All-RMAC and Defensive Player of the Year William Becker.
The 2021-22 team (21-9, 15-7 RMAC) marked one of the program’s best seasons, opening 5-0, finishing with 20+ wins for just the third time, and reaching the RMAC semifinals with a statement win over Colorado School of Mines. UCCS also posted program top marks in rebounds, assists, and blocks.
In 2019-20, UCCS went 17-11 with standout seasons from Blend Avdili and Padiet Wang, who both surpassed 1,000 career points. Wang became the all-time steals leader and the first Mountain Lion named RMAC Defensive Player of the Year. Both later signed pro contracts.
Culver engineered the greatest turnaround in NCAA Division II in 2014-15, jumping from 5-21 to 21-9 with the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth. The following season, UCCS won the RMAC Tournament Championship, reached the NCAA second round, finished 27-6, and was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally after a 14-0 start. He has guided UCCS to multiple RMAC Tournament appearances, coached two All-Americans, and sent numerous players to professional careers.
Before UCCS, Culver spent seven years as head coach and athletic director at Johnson & Wales, leading the Wildcats to three A.I.I. championships and three NAIA national tournament berths. He was named A.I.I. Coach of the Year three times and oversaw a $7 million renovation of athletic facilities.
Culver also held coaching roles at Northern Colorado, Colorado State, and Alexander Dawson High School. He was the only four-year head coach to offer Derrick White a scholarship out of high school—White went on to become a two-time All-American at UCCS and a first-round NBA Draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs.
Culver earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1995.