It’s happening quietly, but Jevon Carter is putting together one of those seasons, and in six weeks we’ll be back here saying, “Hmm, he was first-team all-conference? That seems about right.”

He’ll probably make the Big 12’s all-defense team for the third time in three seasons. He’s WVU’s leading and probably also best scorer. We can debate whether he’s more important than Nate Adrian — and I promise you one would endorse the other — but I think it’s fair to say the point guard who’s played more minutes than anyone else, the player the head coach fears playing without the most, is the team’s leader.

The scoring, the structure, the distributing, the assist-turnover ratio, that’s all good and useful for West Virginia, but Carter is suddenly a highly productive rebounds at a time when the Mountaineers need it. They lead the Big 12 in offensive rebounds and they’re last in defensive rebounds, and they’re still finding their way without Devin Williams and Jon Holton.

Carter is content to pitch in and dig out needed rebounds.

“I think it’s more an emphasis we’re all going to have to rebound,” Huggins said. “We just don’t have someone like Devin who can handle a guy physically and rebound the ball at the same time. Brandon is pretty slight playing against the people we play. We really want those guys to not let their guys get it and do something to let our guys go get it.”

That works for Carter, who isn’t always around the rim but doesn’t mind doing the work.

“This isn’t golf,” he said. “This isn’t something where you’re just out there on your own. I’ve got four other guys on the court with me all the time.”

Carter isn’t typically near the basket. He starts defending soon after the press lets the opponent inbound the ball. He guards on the perimeter. If he’s inside, he’s chasing a dribbler or a cutter and isn’t in prime position to box out. But if a teammate can put his body on an opponent’s, Carter can get to the ball and then shift to his primary responsibility.

“I like to get to the ball so I can push it in transition and try to get us easy baskets,” he said. “I feel like the more rebounds I get, the more transition chances we get and the easier we score.”