No. 1 recruit Love to play in Pauley @supost.com

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Date: Mon, Dec 11, 2006, 08:00 AM

The much-ballyhooed arrival of UCLA all-everything recruit Kevin Love will finally occur this week. For one night, at least. Love, the nation?s No. 1 recruit who committed to the Bruins this past July, will bring his high school team to compete in the Verbum Dei Real Run Winter Classic held this Friday at Pauley Pavilion. In the game, Love?s Lake Oswego Lakers from Oregon will face off against Arron Afflalo?s old high school team, Compton Centennial. ?From the day I committed to UCLA, I talked to my coaches about making this a possibility,? Love said. ?I wanted to be able to show my skills in front of the fans who want to see me play.? Friday?s game will be Love?s first time playing competitively in Southern California and will be a test for his Lakers against one of the traditional powers in the Los Angeles City Section. More importantly, it will give UCLA fans a unique chance to see in person what coach Ben Howland says is ?one of the most special players to come to UCLA in a long time.? ?I think it?s great for Kevin to play in front of his UCLA fans,? tournament organizer DeAnthony Langston said. ?The fans have been waiting for this, and Friday is their chance.? The game will also be a sort of homecoming for the Love family, as both of his parents grew up in Southern California and still have relatives in the area. Love?s father, Stan Love, in fact, played for former Bruin coach Jim Harrick in high school and always had the dream of playing at UCLA. ?It will be great for our entire family,? Stan Love said. ?UCLA has always been a strong name in our house, and the chance for Kevin to play at Pauley Pavilion and in front of his family will be special.? Friday will be Love?s fourth visit to the UCLA campus. Love was in attendance for last year?s UCLA-Arizona basketball game and took his first visit to the campus when he was in eighth grade. Before signing his letter of intent with the Bruins in November, Love took his official visit to the UCLA campus on the weekend of the UCLA-Arizona football game. ?I have always loved the campus, and any time I get to come back, it?s great,? Love said. ?Suiting up in Pauley for the first time under the lights will definitely be special.? Friday?s game will be one of many big-time tournaments Love and his team will participate in this season. The team has already competed in a tournament in Seattle and will later face Taylor King?s Mater Dei Monarchs in the Nike Extravaganza in Orange County. When asked if all the hoopla and comparisons to Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton bother him, Love takes a mature approach to his senior year. ?I realize that, with my dad?s experiences, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,? Love said of playing in the big tournaments. ?I appreciate the exposure and I enjoy it, but at the same time, I am just Kevin Love, and no one else.? On Saturday, Love and his father plan to stay on campus to watch the Bruins take on Oakland University. Meanwhile, the rest of Love?s teammates will be going down to visit Disneyland. ?I am too tall to go on any of the rides,? Love said jokingly. ?Anyways, I?d rather spend my day at Pauley watching my future team play basketball.? <hr>For information on tickets to Friday?s game, go to ticketmaster.com or call the Central Ticket Office at 310-825-2101. <a href='; target='_blank'>;