Kevin Love & O.J. Mayo Tracker - Page 2 - Detroit Pistons Fan Community

buddahfan · #11 (**permalink**) 11-02-2007, 09:12 AM

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L.A.'s fresh faces
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports
November 1, 2007

LOS ANGELES – For the most part, the top two freshmen in college basketball say they've been left alone.
O.J. Mayo has signed an autograph or two for classmates at USC, and UCLA's Kevin Love – mainly because of his size – has been recognized while standing in line for a chili cheese dog at Pink's.
"But it hasn’t been a problem at all," the 6-foot-10 Love said Thursday at Pac-10 basketball media day. "It's not like there's paparazzi following me around or anything."
At least not yet.
Even in the city of Bryant, Beckham and Britney, no one would be surprised if Love and Mayo became two of Los Angeles' more famous faces by the end of the college basketball season. Or shoot, maybe by the beginning.

Cont. on link

L.A.'s fresh faces - NCAA Basketball - Yahoo! Sports

buddahfan · #12 (**permalink**) 11-03-2007, 12:14 PM

Nice opening game for Mr. Love in his UCLA debut last night

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Love has double-double in debut for No. 2 UCLA in 111-61 exhibition win

November 3, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Highly touted freshman big man Kevin Love had 15 points and 12 rebounds in his UCLA debut and the second-ranked Bruins beat Azusa Pacific 111-61 in an exhibition game Friday night.

Love, a 6-foot-10 and 260-pound center, went 6-for-10 from the field, made a 3-pointer and had three assists in his first appearance at Pauley Pavilion.

Unfortunately, Darren Collison injured one of his knees last night and they will have to take a MRI of it today. Hopefully it is not serious.

Love has double-double in debut for No. 2 UCLA in 111-61 exhibition win - NCAA Basketball - Yahoo! Sports

KGREG · #13 (**permalink**) 11-08-2007, 02:23 AM

Might want to start tracking that kid Rose at Memphis too. Man this kid is a pure freak of a ball player, he is indeed the 2nd coming of Jason Kidd. If we snagged him and put him on the floor with Amir,Max and Stuckey, LAWD HA'Mercy.

buddahfan · #14 (**permalink**) 11-08-2007, 10:58 AM

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Originally Posted by KGREG

Might want to start tracking that kid Rose at Memphis too. Man this kid is a pure freak of a ball player, he is indeed the 2nd coming of Jason Kidd. If we snagged him and put him on the floor with Amir,Max and Stuckey, LAWD HA'Mercy.

From everything I have heard he is at the same level as Mayo and Love.

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Memphis’ Rose makes strong first impression

The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. | Derrick Rose didn’t take long to adjust to the college game.
Rose, Memphis’ highly touted freshman, had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in his collegiate debut as the No. 3 Tigers beat Tennessee-Martin 102-71 on Monday night in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.

www.kansascity.com | 11/05/2007 | Memphis’ Rose makes strong first impression

buddahfan · #15 (**permalink**) 11-09-2007, 11:03 AM

The Kevin Love era begins tonight.

Here are some comments about Love by Ken Bone the coach of the Bruins opening night opponent.

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Vikings Coach Ken Bone saw plenty of Love at Lake Oswego High near Portland.

"He plays beyond his years," Bone said Thursday, shortly after his team arrived in Los Angeles. "He has such a great feel for the game. He's not just a good scorer and rebounder. What he does better than anybody else is pass the ball. He'll allow UCLA this year to have a very good push. He's able to deliver the ball in transition to the right people night in and night out."

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TaShawn · #16 (**permalink**) 11-09-2007, 11:21 AM

Sounds like what they were saying about LeBron.

buddahfan · #17 (**permalink**) 11-10-2007, 12:53 AM

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kevin Love had 22 points and 13 rebounds in his college debut, helping No. 2 UCLA dominate Portland State 69-48 on Friday night, its fifth consecutive season-opening win under coach Ben Howland.

Love was out to impress from the opening tip. The 6-foot-10, 270-pound freshman scored on consecutive dunks that had him flying off the rim and the fans oohing at Pauley Pavilion.Then he whipped an outlet pass the length of the court to Russell Westbrook, who scored to give the Bruins an 18-2 lead.

They leaped up and bumped chests as a timeout was called.Love showed his versatility by hitting a 3-pointer. Later, he was knocked to the floor on a hard foul by Julius Thomas,but got up and made one of two free throws.

Love swatted away a shot in the second half, sending the ball out to midcourt.The freshman scored seven straight points in the second half, including five free throws, for UCLA's largest lead, 51-27. He finished 6-of-8 from the field, 9-of-11 from the line, had three assists and no fouls.

ESPN.com - NCB - No. 2 UCLA 69, Portland St. 48

buddahfan · #18 (**permalink**) 11-15-2007, 03:29 PM

Comment about Love is at the bottom of the quote.

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Experts say Bruins recruiting class really rates
No. 2 UCLA has a class of incoming players -- including three local guards -- that is ranked just as high as the current teams.

Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 15, 2007

UCLA's basketball team is ranked second in the country, and by the time all national letters of intent are signed and turned in, the rating for this year's Bruins' recruiting class is expected to be at least as high.

UCLA flexed its drawing power Wednesday, the first day high school seniors could officially commit during the NCAA's early signing period, by securing three of the best guards not only in Southern California but also in the country, plus a power forward from San Jose.

Jrue Holiday, a 6-foot-3 guard from North Hollywood Campbell Hall rated by some as the nation's best high school senior, will join Jerime Anderson, a 6-1 point guard from Anaheim Canyon High, Malcolm Lee, a sharp-shooting 6-4 guard from Riverside North High, and 6-8 power forward Drew Gordon from San Jose Archbishop Mitty on the Bruins' 2008-09 team.

"Needless to say, I'm a happy guy," Coach Ben Howland said after receiving the paperwork from all four recruits.......

Gordon said he was sold on UCLA because Howland did not sweet talk him. "Coach Howland is a businessman," Gordon said. "He just tells it like it is; nothing fake."

Gordon said he was also influenced by Love who, after three games, leads UCLA in scoring (20.7) and rebounding (10.3). As to whether Gordon gets a chance to play with Love, Gordon said, "I've been talking to him about coming back, trying to convince him. I don't think it's working, though.

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buddahfan · #19 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 09:09 AM

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Love seems to do everything by the book, whether the book is Emily Post's Etiquette or The John Wooden Pyramid of Success. Love's coach, Ben Howland, likes to compare his 6-10, 260-pound freshman center to San Antonio Spurs superstar Tim Duncan, specifically because of Duncan's media nickname: The Big Fundamental. Howland considers this phrase to be a high compliment, like Magic or The Pearl. But many writers who use it to describe Duncan do so to gently mock his "boring" public image.

Well, maybe it's not the fundamentals that are boring. Maybe it's the boring that's boring. Kevin Love's low-post footwork is so precise he is ready to try the pasodoble on Dancing With the Stars. He shoots free throws like he's Reggie Miller, sets a screen that could pass for a 3,000-square-foot Colonial and, like his father's friend Wes Unseld, is a singular contemporary artist in the discipline of throwing outlet passes.
But Love is not boring.

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for UCLA's Love knows winning is fundamental

O.J. Mayo
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Game #2 of the year

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Daniel Hackett scored 21 points and heralded freshman O.J. Mayo added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead Southern California to a 74-47 win over The Citadel on Thursday night.

Game #1 of the year

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Mayo, one of the nation's most prized recruits, led the Trojans with 32 points, but he couldn't help them overcome 19 turnovers and 18-of-32 free-throw shooting. His points were a school record by a freshman in his debut.

USC Trojans - Schedule - NCAA Basketball - Yahoo! Sports

buddahfan · #20 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 09:40 AM

Mayo
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O.J. Mayo has been a celebrity since he starred in Kentucky high school basketball as a precocious seventh-grader. But growing up famous isn't always pretty. Mayo occasionally allowed the pressures of celebrity to push him outside the boundaries of good judgment. His high school dust-ups became national news. When he got benched for a playoff game for missing a class, it made ESPN.
Basketball offers a respite for this 6-5 freshman who runs a team like a point guard and scores like a shooting guard. "Whenever things are bad for me, not happening well for me," he says, "I come to a basketball court and play basketball and let out some emotions or anger."

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for NCAA Basketball stats, scores, standings, and blogs from NCAA Basketball columnists

Rose
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The basketball always has belonged to Derrick Rose. At the high school level, a point guard with his degree of talent gets handed the ball and the license to do most anything he wants. "It's totally different now," he says. Memphis plays a free-flowing offensive style that allows Rose, who is 6-4, to use his athleticism and skill to manufacture scoring opportunities. But the flow is as important as the freedom.

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for NCAA Basketball stats, scores, standings, and blogs from NCAA Basketball columnists

Gordon
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Throughout the preseason, Indiana basketball was in the news for all the wrong reasons: investigations, rules violations, staff changes. Want a right reason? Eric Gordon is a Hoosier.

He is a 6-4 shooting guard with a tight stroke that'll remind veteran basketball fans of Bradley All-American Hersey Hawkins, except that Gordon is athletic enough to jump over Hawkins. Gordon says all the tumult hasn't distracted him from preparing for his freshman season. Or maybe he's too tired to lift his head. IU coach Kelvin Sampson is known for many things now, but his lasting reputation is as a coach who drills his players like they just arrived at Parris Island.

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for NCAA Basketball stats, scores, standings, and blogs from NCAA Basketball columnists

Beasley
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Frank Martin is surrounded by freshmen at every Kansas State practice. That's not so bad when one of them is as gifted as 6-10, 235-pound power forward Michael Beasley. But don't think that'll sway Martin, K-State's rookie head coach, into believing any first-year collegian has something to say that you need to hear. "What do they know about what it takes to succeed in college basketball?" Martin says. "They have no understanding. They can't answer any question as far as what it takes to succeed in college basketball. Why should they be the ones answering about what it takes for our team to succeed?"

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for NCAA Basketball stats, scores, standings, and blogs from NCAA Basketball columnists