Returning to Arizona for a fifth season of college basketball meant Arizona's Caleb Love was due for a slew of preseason honors. The first one arrived Tuesday.
Love was one of five players named to Blue Ribbon Yearbook's preseason All-America team, along with North Carolina's RJ Davis, Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, Alabama's Mark Sears and UConn's Alex Karaban.
Named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, a third-team Associated Press All-American and one of the top 10 players in the running for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy last season, Love tested the NBA Draft last spring. He attended the G League Elite Camp but was not invited to the NBA Combine, a sign he probably would not get drafted, and announced he would return to UA hours before the NCAA's May 29 withdrawal deadline.
While Love slumped late in the season, averaging 11.5 points while shooting just 20% from 3 over Arizona's final six games, Love improved his 3-point shooting from 29.9% at North Carolina in 2022-23 to 33.2% last season.
Love also hit 83.9% of his free throws while leading the Wildcats in scoring with an average of 18.0 points per game, becoming Arizona's leading go-to guy. Among other key performances, Love broke the Matthew Knight Arena scoring record with 36 points on Jan. 27 at Oregon.
In a CBS story during the predraft process, Love credited Arizona for helping improve his efficiency and creating a good environment.
"Coach (Tommy) Lloyd helped me expand my game and grow my game," Love said. "Playing with my teammates, they made it so much fun. It was a great overall year. I definitely grew in areas that I didn't at UNC, so I'm grateful for Arizona and that whole community."
This season, Love is expected to start along with with junior Jaden Bradley and sophomore KJ Lewis on Arizona's perimeter. Bradley and Lewis also both tested the NBA Draft but opted to return to the Wildcats.
(Editor's note: While the Star's Bruce Pascoe contributes team previews to Blue Ribbon Yearbook, he does not vote for its All-American team).
