Tommy Lloyd reflects on Caleb Love's career at Arizona after loss to Duke

Caleb Love didn’t begin his career at Arizona, but he became the face of the Wildcats over the last two seasons. Tommy Lloyd has immense respect for the St. Louis native, as his time with the program came to an end following a loss to Duke in the Sweet 16.

While the guard tried to will his team to a win over the Blue Devils, it wasn’t enough. Arizona fell by seven on Thursday, while Love scored 35 points and grabbed four rebounds. The Wildcats seemed primed to make a run, but they ran into a buzzsaw from the ACC, led by Cooper Flagg.

Following the disappointment against Duke, Lloyd took some time during his postgame press conference to wax poetic about Love. They’ve grown close since he took his talents to Tempe after three seasons with North Carolina. There’s certainly going to be a 6’4″ hole on the team next season.

“I’m going to miss Caleb,” Lloyd stated, following the game. “Obviously he’s had an amazing career. I’m so excited for his future. “I know he was tremendous today, and he’s going to wake up tomorrow and he’s going to smile because he has a lot to look forward to. So I’m really, really proud of him.”

It wasn’t lost on Love what the past two seasons with Arizona has meant to him. He’s grown a ton, and he made sure to shout out all of his teammates for playing a role. The points and performances weren’t at the top of his mind — the relationships he’s built were.

“I just want to thank each and every one of my teammates and my coaches for sticking with me, as a person, first and foremost, because I went through a lot transferring from my other school, and they took me under their wing, and they accepted me for who I was,” Love told the media. “I just want to give all my thanks to them because without them, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be the player that I’ve grown to be. The points are good, but the relationships that I’ve built over the course of my career, especially at Arizona, is just — I give all my thanks to them.”

All told, Love’s time with the Tar Heels didn’t end the way he wanted it to, but it’s evident he’s matured a ton over his time with the Wildcats. His fellow teammates had nothing but tremendous things to say about him, as well.

“He’s a great player, but I feel like we all built a relationship off the court. You don’t see the workouts and the stuff we do off the court. Y’all don’t see that. He really took all of us under his wing. He’s a leader. He’s been through so much and taught us all so much,” Jaden Bradley added. “So definitely going to learn a lot, miss playing with him. He’s just a great guy.”

Fellow Arizona star Henri Veesar echoed Bradley’s sentiment: “If anybody ever thinks he’s not a good teammate, it’s not true. He’s the best teammate we had,” the Wildcats big-man explained. “He’s one of the better persons I’ve ever met. He’s pushed me so much over the last two years, I’m so grateful for him.

“In the tournament, I was struggling, he talked to me. He came up to me after I missed the free throw because we had been — he made me practice free throws after that game. After that he just came up to me, hey, we worked way too hard, you got this. After that I didn’t miss a free throw, I made seven in a row.

“I just want to set the record straight. For any scouts or anybody who thinks he’s not a good teammate, he’s the best person. Everybody loves him on the team. There’s no problems with him. The best person we have.”

Arizona’s season may have come to an end, but it’s evident the relationships they’ve built over the past year will last a lifetime. Caleb Love won’t be with the Wildcats next season, but his impact on the program will be felt for many, many more years.