Kevin Love (Class of 2007)

When a high school basketball player is 6-8, weighs 240 lbs, has a soft shooting touch, has skilled post moves, & strong hands, he is usually accorded top-rankings in recruiting lists as a senior. However, when the player is only a freshman in high school, he then becomes a "phenom". That is what Kevin Love has become during his short high school career.

Success at the highest level of the basketball world is also a family trait. Kevin's dad is Stan Love. Stan Love is a former All-American at Oregon & also spent four years in the NBA with the Baltimore Bullets & the Los Angeles Lakers. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Oregon Beavers are one of the colleges that Kevin mentions as being among the schools he is hearing from the most during the early stages of his recruitment.

BDP observed Kevin on Friday night at the Boo Williams as his Oregon Select team took on the Illinois Warriors, which featured two other possible Duke targets, Julian Wright of the Class of 2005 & Jon Scheyer of the Class of 2006. While Love's Oregon Select team was obviously overmatched, it was clear that Love is deserving of the hype that he has received early in his career. Love scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, & blocked 2 shots in the loss to the Illinois Warriors. His baskets came in a variety of offensive moves which included 15 foot jumpers, putbacks, baseline moves, half-hooks, & drop-step post moves.

Following the game, Love told BDP that the two programs that he is currently hearing the most from are UCLA & Oregon. However, he also said that he is hearing regularly from Duke, Arizona, & Kansas, among others. Love also said that he doesn't currently have a list of schools or have any particular favorites at this time in his recruitment. However, Love also answered in the affirmative when asked if he would consider making the jump directly to the NBA should the opportunity arise.

The hype surrounding Kevin Love is merited in this writer's opinion. Love has a solid body & has an excellent center of gravity, which is rare on a kid so young & so big. Love is not a great leaper & is not an great athlete in the common use of the words. However, if you include strength, strong hands, & basketball skills in the discussion of great athletic ability, Love has it all. He has all the moves that a good post player needs & has excellent footwork in the post. He also possesses a very soft shooting touch on his jumper, as well as on jump hooks in the post. He also has shooting range beyond the 3-point arc & has decent, not great, passing skills from the post position. Perhaps Love's most impressive skill is his ability to make a strong & accurate outlet pass as far as 3/4 down the court after corralling a rebound.