Love Likes Duke

It is usually the high school kids that have breathtaking athletic ability who are prime candidates to make the leap from high school to the NBA. However, although Kevin Love does not possess awe-inspiring leaping ability & is not extremely quick, when kids have the size & basketball skills such as the Lake Oswego, Oregon freshman it is only a matter of time before the buzz about him leads to speculation that he will skip college & go directly to the NBA, especially given the current environment.

Love is 6-8 & weighs a healthy 240lbs. He also possesses many skills which make college coaches drool. He has strong hands & is an excellent outlet passer, which causes many to compare him to former UCLA All-American Bill Walton. "Bill Walton is someone who some people have told me my game is similar. Although I play mostly in the post right now, I feel that there are other parts of my game that I have yet to show. I feel comfortable playing on the perimeter & I think I have pretty good range on my jumper," Love added.

Although Love may never play college basketball, it isn't keeping the top programs from keeping regular tabs on him. "The schools that I am hearing the most from right now are Oregon, UCLA, Kansas, Arizona, & Duke," Love told BDP. When asked if those 5 schools comprised his top 5, Love said, "No. It is too early to say that I have anything like a list. I am still only 15 & I have a long way to go before I get to the point where I can get serious about picking a school. I am pretty wide open to listening to other schools"

Regarding his interest in Duke, Love said the following, "Duke is one of the top programs in the country & have a great coach, of course. They are definitely a school that I would be very interested in & would consider when the time comes to get serious about where I would like to go to college. I have been getting some letters from them & they have talked to my coach." Love added that distance would not play a role in his decision on which college he may choose to attend. Also, academics should not be a problem for Love, as he currently is carrying a 3.0 GPA.

As stated previously, in today's environment a kid as talented as Love will likely eventually have to deal with the NBA issue & he leaves little doubt where he stands in that regard. "If I was considered to be a top 10 pick in the NBA draft as a high school senior, I would more than likely go to the NBA. If you are a top 10 pick you almost have to go. But I want to make sure that I am ready whenever I do go. I think a lot of the guys who are going into the draft this year are not ready yet."

In the current environment of college basketball recruiting, Love's statements on the NBA issue put those schools who wish to recruit him in quite a quandry. Can they justify putting a lot of time, energy, & expense into the recruitment of Kevin Love in the hope that he will decide to attend college, given his current attitude concerning the NBA issue? Stay tuned because that issue is going to be something that many of the top college basketball programs, including Duke, are going to have to deal with in the future.

(5/5/04)