Arizona's Caleb Love to test draft, maintain eligibility

Arizona guard Caleb Love plans to test interest from the NBA during the pre-draft process without forfeiting his final year of college eligibility.

Love spent last season at Arizona and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and a third-team All-American. He played his first three seasons at North Carolina.

"First and foremost, I'm filled with gratitude for such an amazing experience to play at the University of Arizona," Love said in a social media post. "I thank God for allowing me to be in the position I'm in today. I want to thank my family for their unwavering support every step of the way. I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Coach Tommy Lloyd and the entire U of A coaching staff for embracing me and giving me this remarkable opportunity to become a Wildcat. I'm forever grateful! To my teammates, I'm thankful we were on this journey together. You all are my brothers for life. I've taken some much-needed time with my family to think about what's next for me and I've decided to enter the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining my eligibility. Thank you, Wildcat Nation and Arizona community, for showing me so much love. You all will always hold a special place in my heart."

Love, 22, has one year of eligibility remaining due to COVID-19 rules that afford an extra year to student-athletes in college during the pandemic. He was a McDonald's High School All-American out of St. Louis and was with the Tar Heels during coach Roy Williams' final season in Chapel Hill.

Love averaged a team-high 18.7 points in his only season with the Wildcats but went through multiple shooting slumps. He finished the year with a career-best 41.3 shooting percentage, but at 6-foot-3 is likely to be in for a transition to point guard in the NBA.

He is a career 37.5 percent shooter and averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 137 games (132 starts).

—Field Level Media