UNC Basketball: Caleb Love spending extra time working on game

UNC Basketball point guard Caleb Love spent some extra time shooting around after the Tar Heels win over Syracuse on Tuesday night

This hasn’t been the ideal start for former five-star recruit and current UNC Basketball freshman Caleb Love to his season.

The Missouri product was one of the top-rated players in UNC’s 2020 class that finished in the Top 3 in recruiting rankings. The five-star point guard was known for his ability to score and was expected to bring that to the next level.

But through the first 12 games of the season, Love like many of his teammates, has struggled to score the basketball. He’s averaging just 9.3 points per game while shooting just 27 percent from the field. He’s shooting 18 percent from the three-point line, an area he’s really struggling at this season.

However, it’s not because the guard isn’t working hard.

Following Tuesday’s win over Syracuse which gave UNC three in a row, Love decided to put in some extra work and stay on the court after the game. He was alone in the Dean Dome, aside from media working, and put up shots as Inside Carolina’s Gregory Hall took this photo:

Now that’s dedication.

Going into this year, Love was projected to be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft but since his stock has fallen. Sometimes it just doesn’t click right away for certain players and they would be best suited to stay another year. We are likely to see that situation play out with Love this year as he would benefit for at least another year in college.

There’s a long way to go this season and with Love showing he’s willing to put the hardwork in, I hope he reaps rewards from it and gets better overall. If he does, UNC’s season could get very interesting down the stretch.

For more on Love and other UNC Basketball players, please make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel.