Arte Culver was hired as the Commodores’ Director of Recruiting and Player Personnel in September of 2017. Culver comes to Vanderbilt after spending the 2016-17 season as the head coach of Covenant College, a Division III program in Lookout Mountain, Tenn.
“I have known Arte for many years and have always been impressed with his professionalism and passion for helping young men,” said Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew. “Being a former head coach, he understands the vital importance of every aspect of a college basketball program. We look forward to him being a ‘Dore.”
Culver led the Scots to their second consecutive winning season in 2016-17 and the most by a first-year head coach at Covenant with a 14-12 overall mark, which included a win over then number-15 ranked Emory. Culver coached one All-USA South player (Patjo Twagirayezu) and a three-time USA South Rookie of the Week winner (Caleb Haynes) in 2016-17, and his team was also awarded the USA South Team Sportsmanship Award, the second straight year Covenant earned the honor in men’s basketball.
“I am honored and blessed to join Coach Drew and the basketball staff at Vanderbilt,” said Culver. “The opportunity to work with a great staff at an institution that competes at the highest level academically and on the basketball floor is one I don’t take for granted. I’ve worked in a variety of roles on different college basketball staffs, and I am confident that I’ll be able to use my experiences to help Vanderbilt Basketball continue to grow. Vanderbilt Basketball has a rich tradition, and I look forward to being part of it for years to come.”
Culver came to Covenant after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Wheaton (Ill.) College under head coach Mike Schauer. At Wheaton, Culver assisted in all areas of the program and served as the recruiting coordinator. Prior to Wheaton, Culver spent one year as the scholastic coordinator and video coordinator at NCAA Division I member Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In his duties at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Culver oversaw all academic aspects of the men’s basketball program and coordinated video scouting.
Prior to his tenure at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Culver served one year as an assistant basketball coach and math teacher at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. Culver also served one year as the head varsity basketball coach at Rosehill Christian School in Tomball, Texas, while teaching algebra and geometry classes.
Culver is a 2006 graduate of Rice University, earning a degree in Mathematics. A walk-on with the Owls, Culver was a three-year letterwinner for the Rice men’s basketball team and was a member of a class that set the program record for most victories during a four-year period with 73. During his playing career, Rice made two National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. Additionally, Culver was a four-time scholar athlete at Rice and a two-time Arthur Ashe Scholar during his career. He earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Mathematics from Rice in 2008, while serving as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for the Owls basketball program.
Culver and his wife, Julia, have three children: Teddy, Aaron and Annie.