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UNC Basketball: Impact of 5-star PG Caleb Love’s commitment to Tar Heels

By Tristan Freeman

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Rameses, the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot, is seen as they take on the Iona Gaels during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Rameses, the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot, is seen as they take on the Iona Gaels during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 13: The Missouri Tigers mascot performs against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second round of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 13, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 13: The Missouri Tigers mascot performs against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second round of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 13, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Impact for those who missed out on Love

The good news for four of Love’s initial final six teams is that they’ve already been moving on from this particular prospect. Arizona will need a top-tier ball-handler after both Max Hazzard and Nico Mannion depart and isn’t in play for the other top guards Josh Christopher and Jalen Green. They are in a strong position for forwards Puff Johnson and Terren Frank but the potential sanctions from the NCAA put them in a tough spot to convince another five-star recruit to join before knowing the end result.

Indiana had little shot at Love to begin with so there aren’t any hard feelings from the Hoosiers side of things. They already have three commits from the 2020 class and should still have starting guard Rob Phinisee around anyways. And although Louisville was considered a favorite early on in the fight for Love, they’re probably still celebrating the commitment of No. 1 JUCO player Jay Scrubb from just a few days ago. They’ll be fine even without the five-star and could land someone else in the class as well.

Kansas isn’t celebrating right now. With freshman Issac McBride recently transferring and Devon Dotson likely gone after this season, the Jayhawks don’t have much perimeter talent on the roster for the 2020-21 season. And while their prestige will also keep them in the game for recruits, they also have the NCAA cloud over them. And considering that Georgia Tech got dinged for allegedly less that we know about, it’s hard to imagine Kansas avoiding any other fate. That cost them Love and it could as well for another five-star guard in Bryce Thompson, who is considering a number of Big 12 schools.

In the end, Missouri was the big loser because Love was the Tigers’ best shot at landing a top-tier prospect anytime soon. Injuries derailed the Porter brothers’ experiment and the wins just haven’t been there for the program. A number of coaching changes occurred in the SEC this offseason and without a great recruiting class to look forward to, Coach Martin’s tenure could be coming to a close.

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