LOS ANGELES — UCLA’s Kevin Love is NBA-bound.
Less than two weeks after leading the Bruins to the Final Four, the All-American freshman announced Thursday that he’ll skip his final three college seasons and enter the NBA draft.
“I feel like I’m in the right spot to take my game to the next level,” Love said Thursday. “Since I was 5 years old this has been a dream of mine.”
Love made his announcement at a news conference while sitting between his father, former NBA player Stan Love, and UCLA coach Ben Howland.
The 6-foot-10 Love said he would not immediately hire an agent, which would temporarily allow him to keep playing for UCLA.
“I want to maintain my eligibility in case something happens,” Love said. He later added that it’s “definitely a possibility” that something could prompt him to change his mind.
Love led the Bruins in scoring (17.5 points) and rebounds (10.6) on the way to a 35-win season and a trip to the national semifinals, where UCLA lost to Memphis.
Love impressed many with his strength — in practice, he made full-court shots with two-handed chest passes. He was known for his sharp outlet passes, court smarts and leadership qualities.
Scouts have projected Love to be a top-10 pick in the June 26 draft, Howland said.
“We fully expect that he’ll be a very high draft pick,” Howland said. “We’re behind his decision 100 percent.”
Elsewhere
WASHINGTON STATE: DeAngelo Casto, Washington’s high school basketball player of the year from Ferris High, has signed a letter of intent to play next season for the Cougars. Casto becomes the sixth member of the Cougars’ 2008 recruiting class, joining guards Marcus Capers, Michael Harthun, Klay Thompson, Nick Witherill and forward James Watson, all of whom signed in the November early signing period.
Casto spent his first two high school years at Freeman before transferring to Ferris prior to his junior year where he averaged nearly 15 points a game and helped the 29-0 Saxons to their first state 4A title since 1994. He was named first-team All-Greater Spokane League by the league’s coaches and All-State by the Associated Press.
KANSAS: Brandon Rush is headed to the NBA for sure this time. Darrell Arthur may be going with him. Mario Chalmers? He hasn’t made up his mind.
Two of Kansas’ three biggest stars declared themselves eligible for the draft on Thursday, less than two weeks after helping lead the Jayhawks to their first national title in 20 years.
Rush, a 6-foot-6 guard who lost his college eligibility by declaring for the NBA draft a second time, is shopping for an agent and likely will start working out for NBA teams in about a month. Rush was set to bolt for the NBA last year after his sophomore season, but tore his ACL during a pickup game and pulled himself out of the draft.
Arthur, a 6-9 forward, has yet to hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to Kansas if it appears he isn’t going to be drafted high enough.
Chalmers, a 6-1 guard who hit the shot that got Kansas into overtime in the national title game, is still debating whether to declare for the draft or come back for his senior season.
UCLA WOMEN: Nikki Caldwell, who assisted Pat Summit at Tennessee the past six seasons, was hired Thursday to coach the UCLA women’s basketball team. The 35-year-old Caldwell becomes just the fifth women’s coach in UCLA history. She succeeds Kathy Olivier, who resigned last month after 15 years on the job. The Bruins were 16-15 last season and 232-208 overall under Olivier, who will continue to work for the athletic department on undetermined special projects.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
