OFFER EXTENDED! Save $30 off the regular Fantasy Football Commissioner price + get a FREE Draft Kit

The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

Kevin Love was regarded as the finest passer at UCLA among big men since Bill Walton suited up for the Bruins, but there is much more to Love's game than feeding his teammates. Even though he played just one season at UCLA, he left his mark on the storied franchise.

The center became the second freshman in Pac-10 Conference history to earn league Player of the Year honors. He led the Bruins with 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in his only season with the team, including averages of 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, he scored in double figures in all 39 of his games this season while posting 23 double-doubles.

Love is the first Bruin freshman to earn first-team All-American accolades. In addition, he became the third UCLA player in four years to earn Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, and the sixth Bruin overall to earn the honor. He set a UCLA freshman record with 415 rebounds and that total ranks sixth in school history behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three times) and Bill Walton (twice). His 691 points rank ninth on UCLA's single-season list and first among freshmen.

At Lake Oswego High School, Love was a four-year varsity starter for head coach Mark Shoff. During his career, he averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game. He broke Oregon's 50-year-old scoring record with 2,628 points, despite missing a large portion of his sophomore season.

Love was the first player in state history to become a three-time Oregon Player of the Year selection. The Lakers were 92-21 during his prep career and made three-straight trips to the state championship game (2005-07). He was also a four-time Les Schwab and Oregon State All-Tournament team choice. During his prep summers, he played with the So-Cal All-Stars, helping his squad to a 46-0 record, winning five major tournaments and earning three tournament MVP honors.

At UCLA in 2007-08, Love was one of just 21 players nationally to average a double-double with nearly 18 points and close to 11 rebounds per game, and was one of only two freshmen (with Michael Beasley, Kansas State) to achieve this mark. Eight freshmen ranked among the top 100 in the nation in scoring, but only Love scored in double figures in every game (38).

"He is without question the best post player in college basketball," says College Insider.com's Matt Drake. "He has tremendous footwork, which enables him to be in position to catch and score. He's also an outstanding passer and he has a great feel for the game. He's the best player in college basketball."

Love, was also named to the CollegeInsider.com All-American team. He was one of 16 players named to the Freshmen All-American squad, and is only the second freshman in league history to be named Pac-10 Player of the Year. After a tough loss to Memphis in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, he made his decision to declare for the draft after lengthy discussions with his family in Lake Oswego, Oregon, UCLA coach Ben Howland, legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden and UCLA teammates who have previously faced this difficult decision.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Classic "old school" type of player in the Bill Walton/Dave DeBusschere mold who will crash the boards with no regard for his body, constantly look to pass the ball to an open outlet and maintain position under the basket for putbacks ... Has outstanding touch and footwork, especially in the post, along with the long range shooting ability to be dangerous from the 3-point range ... Gets very good elevation and uses the glass effectively from short and long range with a defender in front of his face ... Gets the defender to commit early with excellent pump fakes ... Is a physical presence around the basket, possessing a great feel for the game and basketball IQ that rivals that of Bill Walton ... Uses his size and power to create space for his shot ... Plays with a passion for the game that has made him an instant fan favorite ... While his body does not appear to be athletic, he has very good leaping ability and natural strength ... Ideal for the transition game with his rebounding and passing abilities ... His footwork compensates for just adequate vertical athleticism ... A great student of the game, who made steady adjustments throughout the freshman season to compensate for deficiencies ... Shows good confidence in his long-range shooting skills ... Has success inside the paint because of his ability to consistently establish position ... Defending in the post, it is rare to see him bite on pump fakes or hesitation moves ... Has natural hands to secure the post-entry pass and the power to draw contact on the way to the rim ... Not really a "pretty" type of shooter, as he prefers to get most of his points on straight-line drives to the basket or within five feet of the rim, but has show the ability to fire from 3-point range with good success ... Has the quickness, outlet passing ability and vision to create the fast break ... Best outlet passer in the collegiate game, easily advancing the ball three-quarters of the length of the court, with his crisp and accurate passes to open teammates ... Has a well-balanced scoring game, as he can score from the outside or use his strength to force his way inside ... His superb footwork is evident in low-post movements ... Has the ability to fire a chest pass the length of the court and runs the break to fill the lane as a trailer ... Has the wide body needed to create a big obstacle for an opponent when setting screens ... Best when used on the pick-and-roll, as he has good quickness attacking the basket or picking and popping by pulling up to hoist the 20-foot jump shot ... Great high-post passer, as the speed of his tosses force the defense to struggle and hustle back to cover ... Works hard to establish position deep in the post, as he knows he has the power to drive to the basket at will ... Determined rebounder with large, soft hands and is very conscious of ball security -- he does not keep the ball on the ground for long ... Hits the glass with determination and has the upper-body strength to overpower most physical centers for the ball ... Has very good balance and leg strength, consistently gaining leverage under the rim to get putbacks and offensive boards ... Hard to move out of the low post once he gains position ... Still needs to work on his perimeter defensive game, but has very effective post skills and excels at executing the block ... Gets excellent elevation and has the long reach to alter shots ... Executes pump fakes flawlessly and has developed a mini-hook that defenders struggle to defend ... Has become a decent man defender in the post ... Also is effective holding position in the post and his timing allows him to block shots vs. smaller forwards who struggle to clear his reach ... Team-oriented player with a good feel for defending vs. the pick-and-roll, but does lack the vertical ability when being used as a help defender under the basket (can take on slow-footed forwards, but will struggle against quicker guards and wing players) ... Has a great shooting touch and feel for the basket with the ball in his hands, whether attacking the rim from the left or right side, or taking the ball and firing from long distances ... Works hard to seal off the opponent on post deliveries ... Above-average foul shooter, showing good elevation and patience taking his shot ... Does a very good job of sealing defenders, keeping the opponent honest with his ability to make the baby hook shot or power his way to the rim ... Crafty using fakes and will generally draw the defender out of his stance, where Love excels drawing contact ... Has very good touch around the room ... While he can power his way to the basket, he can also win with finesse, especially when using his right-handed hook shot.

Negatives: Needs to trim at least 20 pounds from his frame to improve his vertical quickness, which is lacking ... Might not have the ideal height or lateral agility you look for in a transition-type center and might be a better fit at power forward ... Can anchor to the ground under the rim (lack of explosive leaping ability) and while he will run the fast break, he does not have great speed for the full-court game ... Lacks the ideal arm length to prevent bigger centers from shooting over him ... His lack of vertical quickness might force him to focus on under-the-rim duties ... Does not have the foot speed to step out and cover small forwards or shooting guards on the perimeter ... Needs to stay low in the block and doesn't have the elevation skills to go over taller opponents ... When guards double him, he is turnover-prone and not always quick enough to protect the ball ... Has an effective hook shot, but his turnaround jumper is marginal and Love might struggle to get his shot off consistently against true NBA centers ... Will generally be in the right rotation as a help defender, but he does struggle to cover quicker shooters ... On the perimeter, he tends to allow too much space and needs to do a better job of staying in front of the shooter ... Bit slow getting back to defend on the pick-and-roll.

Compares To: KEVIN McHALE-ex-Boston ... Like McHale, Love is a student of the game, one that would much rather crash the boards for the rebound or fire an outlet pass to an open teammate. He showed good 3-point shooting ability at UCLA and has the touch to stretch his range for the pro game. He's best attacking the rim and is very good establishing position in the paint, but is a bit slow and lacks the vertical skills to defend on the perimeter. He might be a better fit at power forward in the NBA. Love lacks the ideal height and leaping ability to alter the shots of bigger opponents as a center. He is the best passer in the game among big men, an area in which Bill Walton excelled. Even though he played just one season at UCLA, you can see the Bruins' trademark style of play etched into Love's game. For a team with a solid point guard, he could be the ideal power forward in a transition game.

CAREER NOTES:

Love became the first UCLA player in over thirty years to grab 20 or more rebounds when he hauled in 21 in the win at Oregon State (Jan. 26). The last player to grab 20 or more rebounds was David Greenwood in 1978 ... His 415 rebounds are a UCLA freshman record (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, 318 in 39 games in 2006) ... Ranks seventh on the school list and is just the fourth Bruin to grab 400 or more rebounds in a season (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it three times, Bill Walton did it twice and Willie Naulls did once) ... His 17.5-point scoring average is the second highest by a Bruin freshman (Don MacLean, 577, 18.6 points per game in 1989) ... His 681 points rank ninth on UCLA's season-record list and are the most since 1995, when Ed O'Bannon scored 673 ... His season-high 29 points scored vs. Western Kentucky (3/27/08) in the NCAA Tournament rank second on the school game-record list for most points scored by a freshman, topped only by Don MacLean's 41 vs. North Texas (12/30/88) ... His 27 points vs. Washington State (1/12/08) rank fourth on the school freshman game-record chart (J.R. Henderson's 28 in 1995 vs. Washington State rank third).

2007-08 SEASON

Consensus first-team All-American and unanimous All-Pac-10 Conference first-team pick ... Named the Pac-10 Men's Basketball Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year ... Became the second freshman in league history to earn conference Player of the Year honors ... Earned District IX Player of the Year honors from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) ... Led the Bruins with 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, including averages of 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament ... Also scored in double figures in all 39 of his games this season while posting 23 double-doubles ... In the long, storied history of UCLA basketball, he is the first Bruin freshman to earn first-team All-American honors ... In addition, he became the third UCLA player in four years to earn Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and the sixth Bruin overall to earn the honor ... Set a UCLA freshman record with 415 rebounds and that total ranks sixth in school history behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three times) and Bill Walton (twice) ... His 691 points rank ninth on UCLA's single-season list and set a school freshman record ... Made 55.9 percent of his two-point field goals (227-of-406) and shot 35.4 percent from 3-point range (29-of-82) ... Successful on 76.7 percent of his chances from the free throw line (198-of-258) ... Dished out 75 assists (1.9 assists per game) and registered 27 steals, as he also blocked 56 shots (1.4 blocks per game).

2007-08 SEASON

ANALYSIS

INJURY REPORT

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Lake Oswego (Ore.) High School, where he was a four-year varsity starter for head coach Mark Shoff ... During his career, he averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game ... Broke Oregon's 50-year-old scoring record with 2,628 points, despite missing a large portion of his sophomore season ... First player in state history to become a three-time Oregon Player of the Year selection ... The Lakers were 92-21 during his prep career and made three straight trips to the state championship game (2005-07) ... Four-time Les Schwab and Oregon State All-Tournament team choice ... As a senior, he was selected as the 2007 Naismith, Wooden, USA Today, National High School Coaches Association, McDonald's and Parade Magazine Male High School Player of the Year...Also named the 2007 Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year...Chosen as the Oregonian Class 6A Co-Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Hoop Summit teammate Kyle Singler (Duke)...In the class of 2007, ranked as the best player in the United States by CBSSportsLine.com, All-Star Scouting Report, HoopMasters.com and HoopScoop ... Selected to play in the 2007 Roundball Classic as a member of the West All-Stars, as he scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds to lead the West to a 144-123 victory while being named MVP...Was the Morgan Wooten Award winner...Helped his 2006-07 squad to a 26-2 record and state runnerup finish, averaging 33.9 points, 17.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.2 blocks per game...As a junior in 2005-06, Love was named the Oregon Player of the Year and selected to the 2006 EA Sports and Parade Magazine All-American first teams...Also named first team All-State...Was the only high school basketball player in 2005-06 twice voted as a USA Today Player of the Week...Was named MVP of the 2006 Kingwood Classic, Las Vegas Easter Classic, Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and Reebok ABCD Senior All-Star Game...As a junior, he was Oregon's top scorer and rebounder, averaging 28.0 ppg and 16.1 rpg, while adding 3.5 apg, 1.3 spg and 2.3 bpg to help the Lakers to a 26-3 record and the state championship title ... As a sophomore, Love was named the Oregon Player of the Year in 2004-05, adding first- team All-State accolades...Averaged 25.3 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.2 spg and 2.0 bpg as a sophomore in 2004-05 leading Lake Oswego to a 21-8 record...Selected MVP of the 2005 Kingwood Classic and Memorial Day Classic...Voted Most Likely to Play in the NBA by NBA personnel at the 2005 NBA Players Association Camp ... In 2003-04, Love averaged 13.4 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.3 spg and 3.3 bpg to help his team to a 19-9 record...Became the only freshman chosen as the Les Schwab Invitational's Most Valuable Player in 2004...Also named second-team All-State.

SUMMER BASKETBALL

During his prep summers, he played with the So-Cal All-Stars, helping his squad to a 46-0 record, winning five major tournaments and earning three tournament MVP honors ... Also competed at the 10th Annual Nike Hoop Summit, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds in just 18 minutes in helping the USA Junior National Select Team defeat the World Select Team 100-80 on April 7, 2007 at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn...Named to the 2007 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team on Jan. 15, 2007.

PERSONAL

General Studies major ... Son of Karen and Stan Love ... Father played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Bullets and was a collegiate star at the University of Oregon...His uncle, Mike Love, is the lead singer for the Beach Boys...His aunt, Kathleen McCartney Hearst, won the 1982 Ironman Triathlon and was inducted into the U.S. Triathlon Hall of Fame...Born 9/07/88 ... Resides in Lake Oswego, Oregon.