Caleb Love's 'role has to change a little bit' in Tommy Lloyd's Arizona basketball system

You haven’t truly lived in Tucson until you’ve braved a summer here. It’s tradition. We don’t make the rules.

Arizona combo guard Caleb Love is experiencing for the first — and only — 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 McDonald’s All-American guard Jaden Bradley (Alabama) and defensive-skilled forward Keshad Johnson (San Diego State).

“I love (Tucson),” Love said. “One thing I don’t love is the heat.

“I’m enjoying it though, and the guys are embracing me, coaches are embracing me and I’m enjoying every part of it,” he added. “It’s been great. Nothing short of amazing as far as how fast we’ve been clicking. We’ve only been together for a few weeks, but it’s coming along real fast.”

Love’s initial plan for his final season of college basketball wasn’t supposed to be at Arizona, but Michigan instead to play for head coach Juwan Howard.

“It was just that Michigan couldn’t accept all of my (transfer) credits,” Love said. “Fortunately, Arizona could and I’m blessed to be here.”

Love — who averaged 14.6 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three years at UNC — wasn’t notified about his unacceptable credits “until a few weeks after I committed.”

After a mercurial career at North Carolina, highlighted by a dagger 3-pointer in the Final Four against in Duke in 2022 in Mike Krzyzewski’s 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 “timing wasn’t right.”

Upon his return to the portal, Love was heavily recruited — again — by the Wildcats and trekked to Tucson for an official visit.

“I spent the whole day with the coaches and they showed me campus,” Love said. “They 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.”

“The system” Love referred to is UA head coach Tommy Lloyd’s free-flowing, run-and-gun “offense that has so much movement.

“It’s 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,” Love said. “My role has to change a little bit, because this is a different team, a different system,” he said. “I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to fill that role.”

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.

“I don’t think we’ve got a lot of guys with jagged edges,” Lloyd said last month. “ We’re gonna strive to play incredibly unselfish and very aggressive.”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Whether Love starts or is one of the first players coming off the bench, “I just want to have a great experience here and take this team really far in the tournament,” he said.

“The main goal is to win a national championship, and I feel like we have the team to do that,” Love said. “The coaching staff built the team for us to complete that mission.”

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: “Well he recruited me out of high school and he was my main recruiter for North Carolina, and we’ve always maintained contact. He’s 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. “

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: “It’s definitely a fun atmosphere to play in. I’m definitely looking forward to playing there again. I’m sure I’ll tell the guys it’s going to be rowdy, but it’s a fun experience. You can’t recreate that type of energy, especially two top teams playing against each other. “

Do you have ties to former Arizona guard Courtney Ramey, who is a fellow St. Louis native?

A: “I played for his dad (Terrell Ramey) growing up, his organization ‘Team Ramey,’ since I was in the first grade.

“I’ve 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 that’s my guy. I talk to him from time to time and I’m proud of his success. I’m looking forward to see him grow overseas (in Germany).”

How do you think Boswell, Bradley and yourself will work together?

A: “I think we can be really elite as far as how versatile we are. We’re totally different players as far as our games, but we’ve all taken bits and pieces from each other. ... I’m being a sponge right now.”

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: “ It’s my first time out of the country, so that’s going to be a great experience, just seeing the type of culture they have out there. Looking forward to competing with my guys, and it’s definitely going to be a challenge, because we’re going over there to play grown men that’s pros and have been through a lot of basketball. “