Sometimes the best recruits are the ones already inside the building. That was no exception for Tommy Lloyd and Co., as star guard Caleb Love withdrew from the 2024 NBA Draft and announced his intentions to return to Arizona for the 2024-25 season with his final year of eligibility.
Love committed to Arizona after three seasons at North Carolina in one of the most anticipated transfers of the 2023-24 off-season. In his lone season in Tucson, Love started all 36 games, averaging 18 points, 4.9 rebounds, both career-highs, as well as 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He scored a career-high 36 points in Arizona’s 87-78 road win over Oregon in January – his 36 points were also a facility scoring record at Matthew Knight Arena.
Those types of numbers earned Love a slew of honors, including Pac-12 Player of the Year, Second Team All-American honors from the NABC and USBWA, and Third Team All-American honors from the Associated Press. With his honors, Love also qualified as Arizona’s 34th Ring of Honor inductee.
With KJ Lewis, and now Caleb Love, making their return to Arizona official, the Wildcats’ lineup is starting to take shape. Jaden Bradley is also likely to return to Arizona, but has yet to officially announce his decision.
Bradley, Love, and Lewis are expected to start, along with Oakland transfer Trey Townsend and rising sophomore Motiejus Krivas. Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka, incoming five-star freshman Carter Bryant, Campbell transfer Anthony Dell’Orso are all primed to have significant roles off the bench for the Wildcats.
The last Pac-12 Player of the Year to return to college for another season after winning the award was Arizona’s Sean Elliott, who won it in back-to-back seasons, as a junior in 1987-88, and then again as a senior in 1988-89.