Well, Love was in the OC last night. And from by all accounts (including our comment thread) the kid was spectacular. Here is the Register on Love's domination of Southern California perennial prep powerhouse Mater Dei:
Kevin Love lived up to the hype. UCLA's top recruit scored 36 points, made some great passes, grabbed just about every rebound in his vicinity (he finished with 15), and blocked three shots, as the 6-foot-9 senior led Lake Oswego of Oregon to a 61-52 victory over Mater Dei on Saturday in the final game of the two-day Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei.
He impressed everyone, including a sellout crowd in the 3,200-capacity gym that chanted his name in the final minutes.
The crowd was so large, Mater Dei lower-level players were told to go to another building on campus to watch the live telecast of the game, and an announcement requested that others volunteer to do the same.
Among those who stayed in the gym: UCLA coach Ben Howland, who probably enjoyed what he saw of Love.
In the first quarter, Love scored eight points, including a three-pointer from the corner, and made two outstanding outlet passes for fastbreak layups. On one of those passes, he went up for a rebound, grabbed the basketball and immediately, before landing, made a two-hand bullet pass to the front court to streaking teammate Landon Ainge.
What's really interesting is that Love's performance came against the Wear twins, who are being heavily recruited by Coach Howland and his staff. Yeah, Love may have had his way against David Wear and Travis Wear, but you can't blame 15 year old high school sophomores for being dominated by someone like Love. From what I have heard so far, the Wear twins are two kids who may turn out to be a seamless fit in Howland's machine, which is now rolling in Westwood. But that's two years down the road.He impressed everyone, including a sellout crowd in the 3,200-capacity gym that chanted his name in the final minutes.
The crowd was so large, Mater Dei lower-level players were told to go to another building on campus to watch the live telecast of the game, and an announcement requested that others volunteer to do the same.
Among those who stayed in the gym: UCLA coach Ben Howland, who probably enjoyed what he saw of Love.
In the first quarter, Love scored eight points, including a three-pointer from the corner, and made two outstanding outlet passes for fastbreak layups. On one of those passes, he went up for a rebound, grabbed the basketball and immediately, before landing, made a two-hand bullet pass to the front court to streaking teammate Landon Ainge.
For now, though, I hope AA got to watch some of that action from Orange County. Who knows, it may give him some thoughts about where he wants to play next season. I mean, can you imagine the looks AA and other UCLA guards will be getting when Love is in the paint? Oh my.
GO BRUINS.