Kevin Love just became a very wealthy man.
With Love getting his due as his franchise’s cornerstone, let’s rewind to his high school days when he made up half of Oregon’s greatest prep rivalry.
Love burst onto the scene as a sophomore at Lake Oswego High School, when he averaged a modest 25.3 points and 15.4 rebounds per game (almost the same numbers he’s averaging in the NBA today).
As a junior, another player down south emerged as an adequate adversary: Kyle Singler.
For those of you who may not remember Love vs. Singler, it was right up there with the rivalries of Dan vs. Dave, Harding vs. Kerrigan, Oden vs. Durant.
The two met at MacArthur Court in Eugene for the 6A state title game that spring, with Love leading the Lakers to a 59-57 victory. Love’s line as a junior: 28.0, 16.1 and 3.5 assists per game. He was pretty good.
But Singler got the last laugh as a high school player, spoiling Love’s senior finale. Singler and the Panthers topped Love’s Lakers, 58-54 in a rematch.
The two title games between these two teams and their superstars brought Oregon high school hoops to a level not seen before. It would have been so easy for one of the teams to falter along the way, leaving the showdown a thing of mere fantasy. But Love and Singler willed and skilled their way to the finals for two classic contests.
Not only was the 2007 championship game a rematch between the two best players in Oregon, it was a game between two of the top four recruits in the nation.
That kind of talent doesn’t come through Oregon prep gyms often.
Love’s stat line as a senior was that of a man playing among boys: 33.9, 17.0 and 4.0 assists. In the finals, he scored 37 and grabbed 15 boards. But it wasn’t enough to get past Singler for a second straight year.
Singler’s line was more modest, but still outstanding: 29.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. But he got the championship.
Then their paths veered, as Love went to UCLA for a one-and-done collegiate career. Singler, on the other hand, opted for four years at Duke, where he won a national championship as a junior and was named Final Four MVP. That garnered him Big Man on Campus status.
He finished his four years as the fourth-leading scorer in Duke history and he is on Duke’s top 10 lists for most points, rebounds and blocks in a career. Not bad.
In Love’s one season, he was a consensus first-team all-American, the Pac-10 Player of the Year and led the Bruins to the Final Four.
He was also the BMOC, but not for long.
He left after his freshman campaign and was the No. 5 pick in the draft.
Since then he’s blossomed into one of the most dominant big men in the NBA, leading the league in double-doubles with 17 in 18 games this year. He’s the fourth-leading scorer (25.3) and second-leading rebounder (13.7) in the league.
Those types of numbers will get you four years and between $60-$62 million.
After his four-year career at Duke, Singler was drafted 33rd overall in June to the Detroit Pistons. Because of the NBA’s uncertainty amid the lockout, he shipped himself overseas to Spain, where he is playing for Real Madrid.
His contract is for one-year, $900,000.
He hasn’t seen much playing time yet – just more than 16 minutes per game – and his numbers reflect that: 4.8 points per game and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Advantage: Love.
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