Love of the game guides head coach Zander Culver through first season

“The high points are just the season. I love all of it. I love the highs and the lows.”

Zander Culver | Eden Prairie boys basketball head coach

It was the first Friday of March, and thirty minutes prior to the Eden Prairie Eagles’ final home game of the boys basketball regular season, Zander Culver was in perpetual motion.

Long before the 7 p.m. tip-off against Edina, the head coach was seen watching and evaluating the junior varsity squad’s matchup with the Hornets; greeting parents and friends of the program; encouraging players on the JV; conferring with coaches; wheeling racks of basketballs across the floor; moving from the scorer’s table to the bench; going downstairs, upstairs and back again.

That has been the pace of Culver’s life since accepting the head coaching position last spring. 

But this night was special. 

Culver was sending off his first class of Eden Prairie seniors and wanted to ensure everything went as seamlessly as a perfectly executed pick-and-roll.

“Yeah, there were a lot of details. I just wanted to make this a special night for the seniors,” he said afterward. “I wanted everything to be on point. I didn’t want anybody to be questioning, ‘What do we do? Where do we go?’ All that kind of stuff. I just wanted it to run smoothly, and I think it did.”

The seniors were introduced and honored before joining their parents at midcourt ahead of the game. Photos were taken with players, parents and coaches, with no delay to the start of the contest – when all four seniors on the Eagles’ roster were in the starting lineup.

“I think the seniors felt appreciated. And we definitely appreciate them,” Culver said. “I think the families felt appreciated; they will remember this forever. That picture that they took tonight, their parents will remember it forever.”

Mission accomplished.

Fast forward to their next matchup on Wednesday, when Eden Prairie faced Prior Lake in the Class 4A Section 2 quarterfinals.

Unfortunately for Culver and the Eagles, their season ended after an opening round 99-89 loss to the Lakers.

Their final game took place nearly 10 months after players and families – not just on the varsity squad, but the entire Eden Prairie basketball universe – gathered at the high school to meet their new coach for the first time.

Culver’s arrival in Eden Prairie came following four seasons as the head coach at Roseville High School and three years as an assistant at Wayzata before that.

On that spring evening, Culver made it clear his main focus was to ensure his players understood he would be present for them, to serve and support them in any way he could.

“I’m doing a lot of listening,” he said in May. “I try not to speak as much because right now, it’s about learning what has gone on. How do you feel? What can I do to support you?” 

The Eden Prairie program was eager to turn the page on a tumultuous season that ended a few months before Culver’s hiring. The season was marred by longtime head coach David Flom’s suspension and subsequent resignation after he read a racial slur out loud in a classroom, attempting to educate his players on the responsible use of social media.

The program moved on. And for the past 40 weeks, Culver has done a lot of listening – and a lot of learning. Simply trying to navigate a school the size of Eden Prairie has proven to be a challenge.

“It’s been a huge adjustment,” he said. “Obviously, Eden Prairie is a huge school, a huge school district. People take athletics very seriously, as they did in Roseville. So everything’s just new. I’ve got a new boss, I’ve got a new activities director.”

Culver, who also teaches special education in grades 9-12, found himself starting over in his new environment as he worked to learn the processes and procedures of his new home.

“It’s a lot,” he said. “Everything from, ‘How do I check grades? How do I find student/athlete schedules? Who do I talk to when I need this?’ It’s everything.”

On the court, there have been signs of progress in year one. After an expectedly slow start, Eden Prairie ran off four straight victories in December, improving their record to 5-4 and showing improvement up and down the young roster.

“I think he’s doing a great job,” junior guard Max Lorenson said after the Eagles game with Edina. 

Lorenson, along with sophomore Nolen Anderson, led the Eagles in scoring, averaging over 17 points per game. He said there’s been a period of adjustment, but he likes the path his team is traveling.

“It’s definitely a new approach, but it’s definitely not a bad one,” he said. “It’s just that we have a brand new team, a young team, so he’s just working on putting it all together, and I think he’s doing a great job.”

Eden Prairie finished the season with a 9-18 record, two wins shy of last year’s 11-14 mark. Despite the defeats, players are encouraged by having a new voice to lead them.

“I feel like he’s brought a winning mentality even though it might not show on our record,” freshman Ty Schlagel said. “When we practice and the intensity he brings to the games, it’s all about winning and just doing our best.”

For Culver, seeing his team’s growth and improvement down the stretch stands out as a high point of his inaugural season.

“Recently, we’ve been playing good basketball,” he said, referring to late-season victories over conference foes Buffalo and St. Michael-Albertville.

“The high points are just the season,” he said, pointing out his passion for the game. “I love coaching ball. I love working with young young men. I love everything about it. So, I think I’m pretty steady. 

“I love all of it. I love the highs and the lows.”