You havenβt truly lived in Tucson until youβve braved a summer here. Itβs tradition. We donβt make the rules.
Arizona combo guard Caleb Love is experiencing for the first β and only β time a summer in the Old Pueblo after transferring from North Carolina.
Love is one of three transfers joining the Wildcats this season, along with former McDonaldβs All-American guard Jaden Bradley (Alabama) and defensive-skilled forward Keshad Johnson (San Diego State).
βI love (Tucson),β Love said. βOne thing I donβt love is the heat.
βIβm enjoying it though, and the guys are embracing me, coaches are embracing me and Iβm enjoying every part of it,β he added. βItβs been great. Nothing short of amazing as far as how fast weβve been clicking. Weβve only been together for a few weeks, but itβs coming along real fast.β
Loveβs initial plan for his final season of college basketball wasnβt supposed to be at Arizona, but Michigan instead to play for head coach Juwan Howard.
βIt was just that Michigan couldnβt accept all of my (transfer) credits,β Love said. βFortunately, Arizona could and Iβm blessed to be here.β
Love β who averaged 14.6 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three years at UNC β wasnβt notified about his unacceptable credits βuntil a few weeks after I committed.β
After a mercurial career at North Carolina, highlighted by a dagger 3-pointer in the Final Four against in Duke in 2022 in Mike Krzyzewskiβs final game as head coach of the Blue Devils, Love was recruited by the Wildcats the first time he entered the transfer portal, but the βtiming wasnβt right.β
Upon his return to the portal, Love was heavily recruited β again β by the Wildcats and trekked to Tucson for an official visit.
βI spent the whole day with the coaches and they showed me campus,β Love said. βThey set up a plan and expressed how much they wanted me, how I can fit in their system. I just felt like everything made sense. It was an easy decision.β
βThe systemβ Love referred to is UA head coach Tommy Lloydβs free-flowing, run-and-gun βoffense that has so much movement.
βItβs going to be easier for me to maneuver and make plays on and off the ball. ... I want to come in and just be a great teammate, a great defender, get my teammates involved and the shots will come throughout the offense,β Love said. βMy role has to change a little bit, because this is a different team, a different system,β he said. βIβm willing to do whatever I have to do to fill that role.β
Love will share the backcourt with Bradley, returning second-year point guard Kylan Boswell, wing Pelle Larsson, true freshman KJ Lewis, sophomore wing Filip Borovicanin and Lithuanian freshman Paulius Marauskas, among others.
βI donβt think weβve got a lot of guys with jagged edges,β Lloyd said last month. β Weβre gonna strive to play incredibly unselfish and very aggressive.β
Whether Love starts or is one of the first players coming off the bench, βI just want to have a great experience here and take this team really far in the tournament,β he said.
βThe main goal is to win a national championship, and I feel like we have the team to do that,β Love said. βThe coaching staff built the team for us to complete that mission.β
At McKale Center on Wednesday, Love spoke to reporters about his summer in Tucson and the upcoming season, among other topics. Some of the highlights:
How much did UA assistant coach Steve Robinson, who formerly coached at North Carolina, influence your decision?
A: βWell he recruited me out of high school and he was my main recruiter for North Carolina, and weβve always maintained contact. Heβs been great. Me and him talk every day, and he was another main recruiter in this Arizona decision. Him being here just gave me a, sort of, comfort. β
You have experience playing against Duke, so what is that like, and what do you tell someone about what to expect when going to Cameron Indoor Stadium?
A: βItβs definitely a fun atmosphere to play in. Iβm definitely looking forward to playing there again. Iβm sure Iβll tell the guys itβs going to be rowdy, but itβs a fun experience. You canβt recreate that type of energy, especially two top teams playing against each other. β
Do you have ties to former Arizona guard Courtney Ramey, who is a fellow St. Louis native?
A: βI played for his dad (Terrell Ramey) growing up, his organization βTeam Ramey,β since I was in the first grade.
βIβve been playing against (Courtney Ramey) since I was in the first grade, and obviously we played against each other in high school. He got my card in the playoffs, but thatβs my guy. I talk to him from time to time and Iβm proud of his success. Iβm looking forward to see him grow overseas (in Germany).β
How do you think Boswell, Bradley and yourself will work together?
A: βI think we can be really elite as far as how versatile we are. Weβre totally different players as far as our games, but weβve all taken bits and pieces from each other. ... Iβm being a sponge right now.β
Next month, Arizona is traveling to Israel and Abu Dhabi to play in three exhibition games against professional clubs before the season; how much are you looking forward to the trip?
A: β Itβs my first time out of the country, so thatβs going to be a great experience, just seeing the type of culture they have out there. Looking forward to competing with my guys, and itβs definitely going to be a challenge, because weβre going over there to play grown men thatβs pros and have been through a lot of basketball. β