Caleb Love is not a fan of in-class presentations.<\/p>\n
But two months into his junior year, Love\u2019s distress for public speaking came to a head during a Climate Change presentation in November for his Public Policy course.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just feel like I\u2019m being looked at, but I got through it,\u201d he told SLAM over the phone from Chapel Hill later that afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether he\u2019s become accustomed to it or not, from the classroom to the hardwood, all eyes will be on the North Carolina point guard this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet seven months ago, the St. Louis native was faced with one of the biggest decisions of his life while sitting with the sour taste left behind from their Championship loss to Kansas. It took a total of 20 days for Love to come to the decision that his story was still being written.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we lost in the national championship, I went through that process of mainly just thinking about the loss and hurting about the loss,\u201d Love said. \u201cI just felt like talking to my parents and then talking to my mentors and guys that I look up to, everybody just felt like it was best for me to just come back and improve on what I need to improve on.\u201d<\/p>\n RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Leaky Black\u2019s decision to return might have helped just a bit too.\u00a0<\/p>\n Love will be the first to tell you that his freshman shooting percentages were far below his expectations\u2013 31.6 percent from the field followed by 37.1 percent in his sophomore campaign. The leap in improvement was made from beyond the arc, knocking down an additional 59 threes on 36 percent shooting in his second season rocking the University Blue.\u00a0<\/p>\n But shooting ain\u2019t just about repetition and getting in your daily makes every morning. It\u2019s flying out to LA for the summer to work on balance, shot creation and confidence with Drew Hanlen. You know, the dude that\u2019s explored and expanded the games of Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Zach Lavine and Bradley Beal \u2013 just to name a few.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI texted him, \u2018Man I need you,\u2019 and he was like \u2018I\u2019m here for you.\u2019 So I flew out to LA, and he already knew exactly what I needed. It was crazy because we didn\u2019t do anything really intense, it was just mainly foundation and building up my confidence throughout the workouts,\u201d Love told SLAM.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those same \u2018tween, \u2018tween step-backs that Love employs every game were repeated hundreds upon hundreds of times amidst the thick air in hot LA gyms. Leaning back less on jumpers and raising his release. Minor tweaks, yes. But consistent reps can build quite the mental fortitude.<\/p>\n Adding counters to his favorite move through hesi\u2019s and in and outs, Love\u2019s tempo on the court feels like the high hats and percussive piano keys behind Lil Baby\u2019s Danger;\u00a0 <\/em>a well-paced chaotic wonder. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe actually said, \u2018Stop moving like a white boy,\u2019 because I was stiff with my dribbles and my movements. He was like, \u2018just loosen up a little bit, get a rhythm into it,\u201d Love told SLAM.<\/p>\n With Hanlen constantly throwing out words of affirmation, a summer in LA has seen Love rediscover the rhythm that makes No. 2 so lethal.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Tar Heel nation is still in awe of the 6\u20194 guard\u2019s pull-up three that put the lid on Duke\u2019s Final Four run and Coach K\u2019s farewell to the collegiate game, that pesky three-point loss in April has fueled \u201cthe most important offseason in my career.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like, my confidence is all the way back now,\u201d Love told SLAM.\u201cThis was the most important (off-season) because not only did I have my mind set on improving everything as far as basketball, but improving myself as well. My energy, being more mature, putting everything in perspective as far as me as a person, and growing as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n That confidence stretches to his relationship with second-year head coach Hubert Davis.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing is having a coach that believes in you. When you got that, you feel like you can do anything, especially on the court,\u201d Love said. \u201cHonestly, the biggest thing I take away from him is, he always helps me be better than what I think I am.\u201d<\/p>\n While he was a part of Roy Williams\u2019 final recruiting class, Love\u2019s role as an extension of Davis\u2019 teachings on the court has proffered a whole new dynamic for the two. Sending the former Tar Heel, now head honcho plays from around the League, constant communication has infused the recent 1,000-point scorer with a whole new energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cue a historic run in March and shot for the ages, that \u2018I\u2019m better than anyone you put on me\u2019 mentality from his Christian Brothers days has been reinvigorated.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now, I just feel like I\u2019m back<\/em>,\u201d Love told SLAM.\u00a0<\/p>\n Photos via Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d1l5jyrrh5eluf.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/GettyImages-1440864351-2-scaled.jpg\")
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