If there was ever a marked man for McArthur Court’s Pit Crew, Kevin Love is it.
UCLA’s freshman center from Lake Oswego is expected to receive the brunt of what Oregon’s student section is capable of in Thursday’s game against the Ducks.
The Pit Crew is notorious for harassing the league’s best – or most annoying – players, verbally abusing them while digging up dirty tidbits about their personal lives. The fact that Love is from the state of Oregon, and dropped the Ducks early in the recruiting process, is but one reason why he may receive the most obscene gestures from The Pit in recent memory.
“The crowd is going to be the worst anyone has ever seen,” Love said in The Press-Enterprise. “I told my teammates, ‘You guys are going to be happy because the crowd’s only going to be on me.’ Even if we win, but they still irritate me into having a bad game, I really think they would be the happiest people in the world.”
Pit Crew President Daniel Cogan, however, said that while Love will receive a rude homecoming, he and his fellow students expect to give USC freshman O.J. Mayo a harder time, particular for hitting and breaking the jaw of teammate Daniel Hackett in a pickup game in September.
While Cogan wouldn’t get into specifics about the chants or other distracting tactics planned for Thursday, he said to expect plenty of pictures of Love crying over a loss in a high school game at Mac Court. Love will also receive plenty of phone calls and text and picture messages on his cell phone Wednesday after members of the Pit Crew distribute the big man’s digits.
Oregon senior forward Maarty Leunen said he doesn’t have a Facebook profile because fans are so good at finding dirt on players. The Pit Crew, though, is probably the best at it, Leunen said.
“The Pit Crew’s usually pretty good at putting an original twist on someone,” he said.
Despite everything though, Love will get nowhere near the same level of animosity as the Pit Crew’s most hated player.
“In terms of preparing for a single player, Kevin Love is not even close to Ryan Appleby. He’s definitely public enemy No. 1,” Cogan said. “If Love played for Washington, he would definitely be the most hated.”
Part of the reason is that Love hasn’t directly insulted the Oregon program. He’s chosen his words carefully when talking about why he chose not to attend Oregon. However, his father, Stan Love, a former Duck basketball player, had harsh words for his alma mater following Kevin’s decision to go to UCLA. He said Oregon coach Ernie Kent “shot himself in the foot” by not recruiting his son heavily enough.
Cogan says that’s why the Pit Crew will be focused on Stan Love as much as Kevin on Thursday. They’ll be searching for a dad in the stands holding a video camera.
Stan Love has been quoted saying that opposing fans would be wise not to taunt his son, believing that he elevates his game when adversity kicks in.
“That’s the best, isn’t it?” Kevin Love said. “Especially if you have a great game against them, and hit a few shots? I don’t think there’s a better feeling.”
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