Thu Apr 17 17:47:57 2008

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No Love in LA; Bruins freshman headed to NBA

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Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Less than two weeks after losing to national runner-up Memphis in the Final Four, head coach Ben Howland and the UCLA Bruins learned they could be losing their top player to the NBA.

All-American center Kevin Love announced Thursday that he will enter his name into the 2008 NBA draft, holding a press conference at the university which also served as a forum for guard Russell Wetsbrook and forward Luc-Richard Mbah a Moute to announce their respective futures.

UCLA went 35-4 this past season -- 16-2 in the Pac-10 -- and reached its third consecutive Final Four under Howland before falling to Memphis, 78-63, in a national semifinal.

Love said he will not yet sign with an agent, allowing him to retain his college eligibility provided he withdraws from the draft by the NBA's June 16 deadline. Junior point guard Darren Collison, who was reportedly set to announce his decision to leave last week along with Love, did not announce his plans.

A 6-foot-10 freshman from Lake Oswego, Oregon, Love was named Pac-10 co-Player of the Year along with another first-year player, USC guard O.J. Mayo. Mayo, a likely top five pick, announced he would forego his final three years at Southern Cal last week, and Love is himself projected as a top-15 pick.

In his only college season, Love averaged 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds for the Bruins, joining Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts, Kansas State's Mike Beasley, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Texas' D.J. Augustin on the All-American first team.