5-star point guard Caleb Love has turned down Missouri in favor of North Carolina, committing to the Tar Heels on Tuesday night.
The St. Louis native, who is the top-ranked senior in the state of Missouri and the fourth-ranked point guard in the country, joins fellow five-star recruits Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe in another talented class for UNC coach Roy Williams.
Love narrowed his decision down to two schools, eliminating Kansas and Louisville, on Sept. 25. He visited Chapel Hill five days earlier, and attended Missouri football’s victory over West Virginia two weeks before that.
Love has developed a strong reputation as an elite scorer from the point guard position, showcasing the ability to create his own shot and consistently make jumpers off the dribble. He possesses the size — 6’3”, 170 pounds — length and effort to be an asset on defense as well.
“Right now, he is more comfortable taking shots than setting up teammates, but his passing has improved and he is doing a better job of running a team,” said Ben Snow, 247 Sports National Basketball Analyst, in Love’s scouting report. “Ultimately, it comes down to Love’s ability to run a team at the college level and beyond, but there is no doubt he can score. The requisite athleticism is absolutely there.”
While most projections heavily favored the Tar Heels, Missouri fans held out hope until Love’s commitment, especially after he announced that the Tigers reached his final two schools. Love would have been the first five-star recruit to choose Missouri since Michael and Jontay Porter joined the Tigers’ 2017 class.
Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin will move on to other targets after securing a commitment from Jordan Wilmore, a 3-star 7’2” center from Maryland, on Saturday.
_Edited by Emily Leiker | eleiker@themaneater.com_
