Basketball is something of a religion here at Duke, so I feel I should confess something to the basketball gods: In middle school, I was a teammate of North Carolina’s starting point guard Caleb Love.
In Durham, this must be some kind of sin. But what’s even more damning is that I barely remember the experience.
For two unbelievable seasons in middle school, I played in the famous Ramey League in St. Louis. Alumni of the Ramey League include Duke’s own Jayson Tatum and the Houston Rockets’ Ben McLemore.
If the Ramey name sounds familiar to you, then you have probably heard of Courtney Ramey, whose dad started the league. Courtney was my teammate both years in the league and is now a star point guard in his own right at Texas. Ramey is averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 45% from deep for the sixth-ranked team in the country.
So what about Caleb Love?
I’ll level with you. I can’t offer a very detailed scouting report on the nine-year-old version of Love I played with. I could tell you more about the concession stand nachos than I could about Caleb Love. Besides the fact that he was a good ball handler, I can’t recall one specific aspect about my former teammate, and for that I truly apologize.
Here’s what I can remember. After the preseason workout, Love was drafted higher than about half the league despite being a full two years younger than everyone else. Our team, boosted by Ramey’s leadership, Love’s ball skills and my writing ability, steamrolled the competition to win the league championship.
However, without my presence on the court, Love hasn’t found the same success at the college level. He is going through quite the rough patch in his freshman season with the Tar Heels. The 18th-ranked recruit in his class is shooting just 31% from the field, and his team has fallen out of the AP Top 25.
Love’s play has improved in the last few weeks, though, and he’ll be a tough matchup for Jeremy Roach and Jordan Goldwire to handle.
Facing the Blue Devils will serve as extra motivation for Love on Saturday. In a classic twist, Love actually grew up a Duke fan. His high school coach was Tatum’s dad, Justin, who coached Love and Christian Brothers College High School to the brink of a state championship.
Will Love prove Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski wrong for not offering him a scholarship? I don’t know—the only predictable thing about the Tobacco Road rivalry is how unpredictable it is. But I’m betting that Love will bring his ‘A game’ to Cameron Indoor Stadium, and Coach K will need to plan for it.
Like all freshmen at North Carolina, Love has seen few, if any, classmates during a pandemic that separates us. It’s tough to make friends who aren’t your teammates when you can only meet someone through Zoom.
Love probably doesn’t remember me, and I barely remember him. But he should know that he has at least an acquaintance in me.
We’re not so different, after all—two St. Louis guys who love basketball and whose first choice school was Duke.
Editor's note: This article is one of many in The Chronicle and The Daily Tar Heel's annual rivalry edition. Find the rest here.
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