Caleb Love is ready to run it back. The freshman point guard is returning to North Carolina for his sophomore season, he announced on Friday. Love met with Roy Williams on Wednesday for their postseason meeting, according to sources close to the situation, and then informed Williams of his decision on Thursday.
A member of the ACC's All-Freshman Team, Love started 26 of Carolina's 29 games, averaging 10.5 points and 3.5 assists. He led UNC in assists (104), and was second in points (305), steals (34) and three-pointers (34). He shot 31.6% from the field, 26.6% on three-point attempts, and 80.8% at the free throw line.
Juxtaposing Love's highs and lows provides insight into the inconsistency of North Carolina in 2020-21, a team which finished with an 18-10 record (10-6 ACC) and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
He showed off the potential that put him on NBA teams' radars, scoring in double figures 16 times, including a career-high 25 points (9-16 FG, 4-5 3FG, 3-3 FT) and seven assists in Carolina's 91-87 win at Duke in February. In doing so he became the first Tar Heel to ever record 25 points and seven assists at Duke (Ty Lawson had 25 points and five assists in Durham in 2009). In the second matchup against Duke, at the Smith Center, Love had 18 points (6-12, 2-6 3FG, 4-4 FT) and seven assists.
He also showed areas of his game that could clearly use refining, as he had a team-high 89 turnovers, and recorded four or more in a single game 13 times during the season. He took 90 more field goal attempts than any other Tar Heel, making 50 percent of his field goal attempts four times.
“It’s just all about confidence,” Love said after one of those efficient shooting performances, a 20-point effort against Wake Forest. “Obviously I was in a slump most of the season. It’s just seeing the ball go through the hoop. It’s just muscle memory and staying in the gym. I'm always in the gym; I'm always working on my shot. And I think it was just more mental with me than just ability because, in my opinion, I know I can shoot. My teammates know I can shoot. My coaches know I can shoot. ... Playing downhill, that’s one of the things I do best. And once my shot keeps on falling, the defense is going to have to respect it and then it opens up shots for my teammates.”
UNC head coach Roy Williams focused on Love's defensive potential, and harped more on Love's assist-turnover numbers than his point totals or shooting percentages, throughout the season.
"Coach Williams always stays on me that it is not just about shooting," Love said. "Because I can be one of the best defenders in the country if I put my mind to it and do all of that. Just defending. The game is not all about scoring. You got defense, you got making your teammates better, because I am a point guard. You've got to lead."
Williams added during the season: "I do think he's getting better. I told him yesterday or the day before. We had a little meeting, and I told him that I think he's getting better a little bit each and every day and we've just got to keep getting him some opportunities."
Love, a 6-foot-3 native of St. Louis, signed with UNC in November 2019. He picked the Tar Heels over offers from Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, and Louisville. Ranked the No. 14 overall player (and No. 2 point guard) in the 2020 class, Love was the third-highest rated lead guard signee (Ty Lawson, Cole Anthony) in Williams's tenure according to the 247Sports Composite.
"I mean he has the whole package," Roy Williams said of Love before he began his freshman season. "He’s a tremendous athlete. He hadn’t gotten a chance to strictly play the point guard as much as I wanted him to and probably as much as he wanted to because he was so versatile and they had some other guys on his high school team that could play ... (He) is a scoring point guard, an athletic point guard, a guy who can attack the basket and finish against bigger players. He’s the kind of player that everybody who plays with him says they want him as a teammate. His parents are very education-oriented and will be wonderful supporters of our University and the basketball program.”
As he prepares for the 2021-22 season, Love is looking to make the second-year jump many former Carolina lead guards have made under Williams. Raymond Felton improved his 3pt percentage by 13 points in his second year under Williams, Kendall Marshall went from shooting 41.8% to 46.7% from the field, while both Joel Berry and Marcus Paige improved their field goal and 3pt percentages by at least four points.
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March 27, 2021 at 08:16AM
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BREAKING: Caleb Love Returning to UNC - 247Sports
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