Caleb Love is not a fan of class presentations.
But two months into his junior year, Love’s public speaking ordeal came to a head during a presentation on climate change in November for his public policy course.
“I feel like I’m being considered, but I’m over it,” he told SLAM by phone from Chapel Hill later that afternoon.
Whether he gets used to it or not, from the classroom to the hardwood, all eyes will be on North Carolina’s point guard this season.
However, seven months ago, the St. Louis native faced one of the biggest decisions of his life as he sat with the bitter aftertaste of his championship loss to Kansas. Love took a total of 20 days to decide that his story was still being written.
“Once we lost the National Championship, I went through this process of just thinking about losing and hurting about losing,” Love said. “I just felt like talking to my parents and then talking to my mentors and the guys I look up to, everyone felt like it was best for me to just go back and improve what I needed to improve.”
Maybe the decision of RJ Davis, Armando Pacot and Leek Black to come back a little bit has helped as well.
Love will be the first to tell you that his freshman shooting percentages fell well short of his expectations — 31.6 percent from the field followed by 37.1 percent in his sophomore campaign. The leap in improvement came from behind the arc, hitting 59-plus triples in shooting for a 36-percent increase in his second season in which he shook the University Blue.
But shooting isn’t just about repeating and getting into your daily life every morning. She flies to LA for the summer to work balance and create a confident shot with Drew Hanlin. You know, the guy who discovered and expanded the games of Jason Tatum, Joel Embiid, Zack Lavigne, and Bradley Bell – to name a few.
“I texted him, ‘I need you man,’ and he was like, ‘I’m here for you.'” during rehearsals,” Love told SLAM.
The “tween” and staggered steps that Love uses in each game have been repeated hundreds and hundreds of times in the thick air of Los Angeles gyms. Lean back lower on the jump and lift to release. Minor modifications, yes. But consistent reps can build mental fortitude.
Adding the meters to his favorite move through hesi’s and in and out, the pitch love beat is like hi-hats and the rhythmic piano keys behind Lil Baby’s Danger; Messy marvel is well paced.
He actually said, ‘Stop moving like a white boy,’ because I was so stiff in my dribbling and my movements. He was like, ‘Just loosen up a bit, get a beat in it,’ Love told SLAM.
With Hanlin constantly rebuffing words of affirmation, Summer in Los Angeles saw Love rediscover the rhythm that makes No. 2 so killer.
While the Tar Heel nation is still in awe of the 6’4 3-guard draw that put the lid on Duke’s Final Four race and Coach K’s collegiate farewell, that upsetting 3-point loss in April has fueled “the most important offseason of my career.”
Love told SLAM: “I feel like my confidence is back now. It was the most important thing (off season) because not only did I set my mind on improving everything as far as basketball, but improving myself as well. My energy, being more mature, putting all my Something in personal perspective as much as I am a person, and to grow as a person.”
That confidence extends to his relationship with second-year head coach Hubert Davis.
“The most important thing is to have a coach who believes in you. When you get that, you feel you can do anything, especially on the field,” said Low. “Honestly, the most important thing I take away from him is that he always helps me be better than I think I am.”
While he was part of Roy Williams’ recent recruiting class, Love’s role as an extension of Davis’s teachings on the court introduced an entirely new dynamic for the two. The former Tar Heel serve, now a major league player, instilled the recent 1,000-point scorer’s constant touch with a whole new energy.
Take a walk in the month of March that’s historic and photographed for the ages, invigorating the “I’m better than anyone you put me to” mentality since the days of the Christian Brothers.
“Now, I just feel like… behindLove said to SLAM.
Images via Getty Images.